Note-Taking Method Affects Immediate and Delayed Recall
Lowell, Keith; Jensen, Meagen; Bigler, Erin D.
Abstract
Note-taking improves performance on tasks (Heggarty, 1997). Because of the frequent and varied use of notes, many studies have been done on the subject of note-taking. Most studies examine differences between note-taking methods. For example, a current focus is whether note-taking within a teacher-provided outline yields better test performance than free note-taking (Larson, 2009; Piolat, 2007). Other studies examine different note-taking methods used by individuals, i.e. shorthand, diagrams, or graphic organization. A literature review found no studies which have examined the separate effect of note-taking on visual or auditory performance. Because note-taking requires the student to look away from a presentation, note-taking could potentially lower visual recall. Contrastingly, visual presentation might distract from auditory intake. The following study examined the effect of note-taking on both auditory and visual recall, as well as a general effect of note-taking on recall.