Do screenshots change how we remember?

Investigators assessed whether screenshot-related memory impairment was accompanied by benefits on other memory and cognitive measures.

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Memory performance was lower for screenshotted material compared to viewed material across seven experiments involving 892 undergraduate students.
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Recognition accuracy for screenshotted images was consistently lower than for viewed images, with differences ranging from 7% to 27% across various experiments.
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No significant cognitive benefits were observed in conjunction with the memory impairment associated with screenshotting.
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Participants were informed they could review their screenshots before testing, but all completed the memory test without reviewing the images.
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The findings suggest that the effectiveness of screenshotting as a memory strategy may depend on how it is utilized.

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