Can frame-semantic congruence enhance incidental memory for food labels?

Abstract Although it is well-documented in the literature that semantic congruence positively impacts memory in general and incidental memory in particular, it is unknown whether this effect extends to frame-semantic congruence. The primary objective of this study was to reveal whether frame-semantic congruence has a positive effect on incidental memory. This was an experimental study using a timed judgment task and a subsequent free recall task. 248 participants judged 30 food labels — of which 2 were frame-semantically congruent and 2 were frame-semantically incongruent, and the rest were distractors — with regard to their realness as quickly as possible. Next, participants listed as many of the items from the timed judgment task as possible in a free recall task. A Poisson mixed model showed no significant effects of frame-semantic (in)congruence on memorability of food labels. However, a McNemar’s test showed a significant difference between the two frame-semantically congruent food labels: crispy chips significantly outperformed crunchy lettuce , a pattern which was also observed in the reaction times. Frame-semantically congruent food labels may enhance incidental memory when applied to some but not all types of foods. However, this remains to be corroborated by further studies.