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News article.

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With the exam season approaching and revision under way, university researchers have suggested that the smell of rosemary could enhance memory.

A study found that pupils working in a room with the aroma of rosemary, in the form of an essential oil, achieved 5% to 7% better results in memory tests.

Mark Moss from Northumbria University said the findings were consistent with tests on adults.

Dr Moss said the study supported traditional beliefs about rosemary.

He said that rosemary had been associated with memory for hundreds of years.

Ancient Greek students wore garlands of rosemary in exams - and Ophelia, in Shakespeare's play Hamlet, says: "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance."

Herb power

The study, to be presented this week at the annual conference of the British Psychological Society, will back the "received wisdom" that rosemary can assist memory.

In the tests carried out by Dr Moss and Victoria Earle, 40 pupils aged 10 and 11 carried out a series of memory tests in rooms with and without the aroma of rosemary.

The pupils did not know they were taking part in memory tests related to scent - but Dr Moss said that those exposed to rosemary had on average an improvement of 5% to 7% in results.

What works for you and your family during the stresses of exam revision? You can join the debate at the BBC's Family & Education News Facebook page.

This small-scale test followed up earlier research on adults which had suggested a link between rosemary and memory.

Dr Moss said it confirmed that children as well as adults seemed to be influenced.

But he said there was variability in the level of impact and some people did not seem to respond at all.

'Electrical activity'

He said the human sense of smell is highly sensitive and sends messages to the brain, setting off reactions and responses.

There are neurotransmitters in the brain associated with memory and Dr Moss suggests that these can be affected by scents.

He described it as "almost like a drug interaction" where the brain is influenced by what is being inhaled.

"It could be that aromas affect electrical activity in the brain or that pharmacologically active compounds can be absorbed when adults are exposed," he said.

Dr Moss said the next step should be to extend the study, with "large-scale trials of aroma application in education settings".

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Rosemary 'could help students' memories'

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With the exam season approaching and revision under way, university researchers have suggested that the smell of rosemary could enhance memory. A study found that pupils working in a room with the aroma of rosemary, in the form of an essential oil, achieved 5% to 7% better results in memory tests.

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News article.

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5 Essential Oils to Improve Your Memory and Focus

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By now, you've probably heard a thing or two about essential oils. First used by the Egyptians and Babylonians, today essential oils can be found in everything from lotion to hand soap to shampoo.

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Find your own research article and put a link here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33519453

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Find some different memory tests and add the links or the explanations here. Here is one example.

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Every level, a number of tiles will flash white. Memorize them, and pick them again after the tiles are reset!

Levels get progressively more difficult, to challenge your skills.

If you miss 3 tiles on a level, you lose one life.

You have three lives.

Make it as far as you can!

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Every level, a number of tiles will flash white. Memorize them, and pick them again after the tiles are reset! Levels get progressively more difficult, to challenge your skills. If you miss 3 tiles on a level, you lose one life. You have three lives. Make it as far as you can!

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Explain what you think will happen in your investigation. Will rosemary or lavender have any effect on your memory?

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As you carry out your experiment, you’ll need to keep record of what happens. Often that will be in a table of results. Here is an example of a table that you might use.
Don't forget to take photos and videos of this part so that you can use it in your news report.

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This is where you must try to explain what you have found out from your experiment. Don’t just write what happened, but try to explain why you think it happened.

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We believed that the rosemary would greatly improve our results, because we had seen so many news reports saying that it would. They all told us that when exposed to the scent, memory improves.

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Hannah> 6383
Abi> 6530

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Hannah> 8739
Abi> 8736

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Hannah>8733
Abi>7638

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DO THEY THO

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Lavender-
Hannah: 27%
Abi: 27%
Rosemary-
Hannah: 27%
Abi: 15%