Bivwac

People involved: Léana Petiot, Hélène Sauzéon, Pierre Dragicevic.

This study examines how augmented reality (AR) influences involuntary autobiographical memory — those personal memories that surface spontaneously. Imagine seeing an AR ad for a bedside lamp while playing a game in bed. Later, simply lying down might trigger that memory unexpectedly. Two experiments compared AR with a standard 3D viewer. In both cases, participants observed virtual objects placed along a walking path, then completed a monotonous task designed to encourage spontaneous thoughts. The results: AR content triggered more involuntary memories in the lab, although the effect appeared temporary. These findings suggest that AR could influence memory — and potentially behavior — in subtle but meaningful ways. Presented at CHI 2025.