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If you want total recall, use old-fashioned pen and paper (not a phone or laptop)

 

From laptops to tablet computers, we have no shortage of gadgets to help us keep track of our lives.

If you really want to remember something, however, it may be best to just pick up an old-fashioned pen and some paper.

A study has found that when it comes to recalling things we have been told, writing notes by hand is more effective than typing.

U.S. psychologists carried out tests of how well students retained information after a lecture.

They found those who wrote their notes in longhand had better understood the concepts they had been taught.

Pam Mueller, who led the study at Princeton University, said students who had used a pen could recall more information later – whether or not they were given a chance to re-read their notes.

She added: ‘Our findings suggest that even when laptops are used as intended – and not for buying things on Amazon during class – they may still be harming academic performance.’

First, 65 students watched recorded lectures armed either with a pen or a laptop.

Half an hour later, they were given a series of factual-recall and comprehension questions based on the talk they had heard.

The study, published in the journal Psychological Science, found computer users performed significantly worse on the conceptual questions.

Those who had used a laptop had taken nearly twice as many notes. Crucially, however, they were far more prone to ‘mindlessly’ transcribing the lecture.

 

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