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MAKATI SCIENCE TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUE OF THE PHILIPPINES

The Effect of Rosemary Scented Candle on Memory Retention

A Research Proposal

Presented to the

College of Psychology

Makati Science Technological Institute

of the Philippines

In Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements of the Degree

Bachelor of Science in Psychology

By

Bencalo, Thessemel

Caberio, Mhaxime Jane

Miranda, Shakira Nicole

Navarro, Maria Victoria

Samayo, Aeriz Marie

(No Due Date yet)

ABSTRACT

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MAKATI SCIENCE TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUE OF THE PHILIPPINES

MAKATI SCIENCE TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUE OF THE PHILIPPINES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Prefatory Note (Optional) 1

1.0 Problem Rationale 2

1.1 Rationale 3

1.2 Research Impediments (Limitations of the Study) 4

2.0 The Research Questions

2.1 Literature Review 5

2.2 Theoretical Framework 6

2.3 Research Questions 7

2.4 Research Paradigm (Simulacrum or Hypothesized Model) 8

3.0 Research Methods 9

3.1 Research Design: Descriptive-Correlational (…for example) 10

3.2 Meaning 11

3.3 Subjects and Study Site 12

3.4 Data Measure/ (or Instrument) 13

3.5 Data Gathering Procedure 14

3.6 Ethical Considerations (VERY IMPORTANT section!) 15

3.7 Data Analysis (or Mode of Analysis) 16

References 18

Examples only! (remove those not applicable)

Appendix I: Permit to Conduct the Interviews 19

Appendix II: Request for Pertinent Data 20

Appendix III: Informed Consent for Research Participants 21

Appendix IV:The Interview Protocol 22

Appendix V: Timetable for Research 23

Appendix VI: Budget Proposal 24

Curriculum Vitae 25
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CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM RATIONALE

1.1 Rationale

Today, candles serves a multitude of purposes, and they are more than ever, albeit they are no longer considered a major lighting

source, they are indispensable in soothing psyches and enhancing memory learning (Siegal, 2022). For instance, the Rosemary scent is used

to stimulate the mind and body. It may even improve cognitive performance and mood. This scent has also been shown to improve memory

retention, and contains stimulating properties that fight physical exhaustion and mental fatigue. Moreover, there are numerous scents of

candle that have been proven to be helpful for concentration that are best for studying, some of which include Coffee scented candle that

can promote alertness, and has been proven to support analytical reasoning, Lemon scent also helps with focus and mental clarity. In one

study, the scent of Jasmine was found to improve brain wave activities and is helpful for focus, Cinnamon scent and Peppermint can both

heighten brains’ attention, cognitive performance, and alertness.

In the laboratory, researchers ask participants to smell different odors and see what sorts of memories come to mind. The

researchers then ask follow-up questions about each memory, such as whether it is clear vs. fuzzy. It turns out that olfactory cues (smells or

odors) are more effective at triggering clear and memories than visual cues. Scent is our oldest sense and over the years, research has been

done into whether scent can improve learning and has even show that pleasurable odor and aroma can help with afternoon brain fog. Some

studies have indicated that certain candle scents can directly or indirectly affect the psychological and physiological conditions of humans

and helps increase focus and productivity and aid the retrieval process of recalling informations on learning and suggested that the smell of

rosemary could influence memory retention. In an investigation, a tests is carried out by the two researchers, they carried out a series of

memory tests for 40 pupils aged 10 and 11 and placed them in rooms with or without the aroma of rosemary. The pupils did not know they

were taking part in memory tests related to scent (Dr. Moss & Victoria, 2017). According to Dr. Moss those exposed to rosemary scent had
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MAKATI SCIENCE TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUE OF THE PHILIPPINES

an improvement of 5% to 7% in results. A study was also conducted by electroencephalograph and demonstrated clearly that scents greatly

modify the activities of distinct brain waves and are in charge of altering the brain's states.

The therapeutic usage of several fragrant plants in aromatherapy has also been scientifically proven by a number of studies that

fragrance helps in concentration which affect the memory of an individual (Suni, 2022). Aromatherapy has so many benefits from reducing

anxiety and depression to boosting energy levels and cognition. One area that has been talked about quite a bit of late is aromatherapy’s

power to better our strongest memories, even in cases of Alzheimer’s and Dementia. A study was conducted where participants were

exposed to the aroma of rosemary while performing visual processing tasks and serial subtraction tasks. With higher amounts of the

rosemary aroma, both speed and accuracy in the tasks increased. Other research suggests that the information is retrieved more effectively

when the retrieval occurs in the same context as that in which the information was first encoded. It has additionally been suggested that

the presence of the same odor during both encoding and retrieval enhanced memory performance, regardless of whether the odor was

presented ambiently or directly (Hackländer & Christina, 2018).

The purpose of this study is to determine the cause and effect of rosemary scented candle on memory as a cognitive enhancer on

improving memory retention to the students by exposing and placing them in rooms with or without the aroma of rosemary while

performing a series of memory tests which took place in the Psychology Department at Makati Science Technological Institute of the

Philippines. We researchers also aims to determine the benefits of burning rosemary scented candles on the participants during encoding

and retrieving process, and examine whether the scent of a rosemary can evoke and enhance memory.

1.2 Research Impediments

The major goal of this study is to determine how rosemary-scented candles affect memory retention. It also intends to examine

memory retention in students who experience more academic pressure using an odor cue, such as a rosemary-scented candle. This study
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will only focus on Filipino college students ages 18 to 23. The researchers chose this age group as the participants since this age group are

believed to experience the highest stress levels (American Psychological Association, 2022). Additionally, research revealed that the top five

overall pressures for Filipino college students were workload due to subjects, responsibilities because of being on one's own, and time

management because of both organizations and subjects (Dy, 2015). Furthermore, as it is believed that persons between the ages of 14

and 25 can retain memories better, the age range chosen for the study fits the two main objectives of the study, which are to examine

memory retention and pupils who are experiencing academic difficulties (Torres, 2007).

The data collection will be conducted through exposing the experimental group to the scent of a rosemary-scented candle while

reading English passages, and then will answer a series of questions to gauge how well the participants retained the information. The

experiment will be conducted in a classroom at the Makati Science Technological Institute of the Philippines. Moreover, since COVID-19 is

still at the surface, researchers will adhere to health protocols when conducting the experiment to ensure the safety of the participants and

the researchers. Following the health standards also limits participant-researcher interaction; nonetheless, the researchers will make sure

to conduct the study properly for a more accurate result.

With the aforementioned experiments and information, the experimenters came up with an experiment that aims to determine the

effect of rosemary-scented candles on the memory retention of Psychology Students at Makati Science Technological Institute of the

Philippines.

CHAPTER 2

THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS

MAKATI SCIENCE TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUE OF THE PHILIPPINES

This chapter includes all types of materials reviewed, conceptual literature which came from books. Related studies both local and foreign

consisting mainly of peer reviewed journals. Your aim is to show how the present study relates to the existing knowledge and previous

studies in terms of both similarities and differences. The formal sub-sections for this chapter are;

2.1 Review of the Literature

Must be comprehensive in the light of the chosen variables with a view to surfacing the research blankspots (unexplored area) and

blindspots (conflicting areas in the literature).

MAKATI SCIENCE TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUE OF THE PHILIPPINES

2.2 Theoretical Framework

2.2 Research Question/s (or Hypotheses)

A research hypothesis is the statement you created when you speculate upon the outcome of a research or experiment. Every true

experimental design must have this statement at the core of its structure, as the ultimate aim of any experiment.
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2.4 Research Paradigm (or Simulacrum)

MAKATI SCIENCE TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUE OF THE PHILIPPINES

CHAPTER 3

THE RESEARCH METHODS

This chapter must include details of your experimental methodology. The example below is for Descriptive-Correlational design.

3.1 Research Design: Descriptive-Correlational

3.2 Meaning

Example (taken from Rowena Escolar-Chua, 2010):

MAKATI SCIENCE TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUE OF THE PHILIPPINES

Correlational research attempts to establish relationship between two or more variables. It gives an indication of how one variable may

predict another. However, correlation does not imply causation; that is, simply because two events are in some way correlated (related)

does not mean that one necessarily causes the other (Stangor, 2007; Bold, 2001 as cited by Williams, 2007). In this study, the relationship

between active engagement with third age education and the psychological measures of successful ageing shall be ascertained.

3.3 Subjects and Study Site

Example (taken from Marishirl Tropicales, 2010):

Seven male and seven female principals representing private secondary schools will be chosen for the study. This sample size is typical of

qualitative research as Patton (1990) explains that there are no rules about sample size. It is dependent on what the researcher wishes to

know; the purpose of the inquiry;…

MAKATI SCIENCE TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUE OF THE PHILIPPINES

3.4 Research Instrument (Data Measure)

Example (taken from Marishirl Tropicales, 2010):

Five assessment tools or scales will be utilized to collect data for this research. Data yielded from these instruments will be used in

publications 1 and 4. Each scale is described in detail below:

MAKATI SCIENCE TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUE OF THE PHILIPPINES

3.5 Data Gathering Procedure

3.6 Ethical Considerations

Permission to use the different leadership assessment tools was sought from the authors…
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3.7 Data Analysis

Example (taken from Belinda Castro, 2010):

Using SPSS version 17, Cronbach Alpha revealed the instrument’s reliability and internal consistency to be 93.5%, indicating that items

measuring the constructs were reliable and internally consistent. Delineation of existing market segments within the shadow education

marketplace called for two market segmentation methods, namely: the a priori market segmentation using binary logistic regression

(Monahan, McHonrney, Stump & Perkins, 2007; Goldstein & Perin, 2008) and the posteriori segmentation using factor analysis…
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REFERENCES

Arrange all literature actually cited in chapters 1 to 3, arrange them ALPHABETICALLY (NOT NUMBERED) and strictly use APA style entries.

Sample entries for books, journals, book edition and internet source are shown below in that order;

Baxter, C. (1997). Race Equality in Health Care and Education. Philadelphia: Ballière Tindall.

Gaudio, J. L., & Snowdon, C. T. (2008). Spatial Cues More Salient Than Color Cues in Cotton-Top Tamarins ( Saguinus oedipus) reversal

learning. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 122, 441-444. doi:10.1037/0735-7036.122.4.441

Hyde, J. S.,& Delamater, J. (2008). Human Sexuality (10th ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill.

Research Initiatives. (n.d.). Retrieved January 11, 2007, from MIT, Comparative Media Studies website,

http://cms.mit.edu/research/index.php
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Appendix XI Timetable for Research

1. Writing of Proposal

2. Collection of Algal

Materials

3. Fractionation of

Polysaccharides

4. Collection of Blood and

Isolation of PBMCs

5. Cell Viability Assay

6. ELISA Assay for Cytokines

7. MRNA extraction

8. Chemopreventive assays

9. Data Collation/Analysis

10. Colloquium/Defense
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Appendix XII Budgetary Requirements

SOURCES OF EXPENSES Quantity Amount

(PhP)

Collection …….    

Isolation of ….    

Tissue Culture Reagents    

Total
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Curriculum Vitae

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