Sans Forgetica font may help memory for words but not for numbers, nor does it help analytical thinking

Recently, the new Sans Forgetica (SF) typeface, designed to promote desirable difficulty, has captured the attention of many researchers. Here, we investigate whether SF improves memory for words, memory for numbers, and analytical thinking. In Experiment 1A, participants studied words in Arial and SF and then completed an old-new recognition test where words retained their study fonts. While participants correctly identified significantly more words as ‘old’ in SF than in Arial condition, this difference can be explained by a higher tendency to respond ‘old’ for words in SF than Arial. In Experiment 1B, participants studied words in Arial and SF and then completed an old-new recognition test on those words in either Arial or SF. Participants had significantly higher sensitivity indexes (d’) when words were tested in SF than in Arial, but no other effect was found for d’ or correct identifications. Experiment 2 had a 2 (font: Arial vs. SF) x 2 (trial type: study vs. generate – estimate answer) within-subjects factorial design. Participants were to learn decimal equivalents of square roots and completed trials three times before a cued-recall test. There were no effects on accuracy, absolute deviation from correct answer, or response time. In Experiment 3, participants completed a cognitive reflection test where half the problems were presented in Arial and the other half in SF. There were no differences in accuracy or response time. We cannot strongly recommend the use of SF in these areas.