An integrative review of the cognitive costs and benefits of note-taking
Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: Students frequently engage in note-taking to improve the amount of information they remember from lectures. One beneficial effect of note-taking is known as the encoding effect, which refers to deeper processing of information as a consequence of taking notes. This review consists of two parts. In the first part, four lines of research on the encoding effect are summarized: 1) manipulation of the lecture material, 2) manipulation of the method of note-taking, 3) the importance of individual differences, and 4) the testing procedure used in the empirical studies. Our review highlights the fragmented nature of the current literature. In the second part of this review we distinguish five forms of cognitive load that are induced by note-taking. Cognitive load theory is used to integrate the divergent results in the literature. We conclude that cognitive load theory provides a useful framework for future theory development and experimental work.
Source: Educational Research Review
Institution: Eindhoven University of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2761545685