A joint research by Professor Kuniyoshi Sakai of the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and NTT Data Institute of Management Consulting found that a paper notebook is more effective in improving memory than taking notes with an electronic device such as a smartphone.The transition from paper to electronic media is progressing rapidly in the fields of education and business, but the importance of paper media that leads to memory and creativity has been reaffirmed.
According to the University of Tokyo, 18 participants aged 29 to 48 were divided into three groups using notebooks, smartphones, and tablets, and they were asked to write down a specific schedule.After that, when I remembered the contents of the schedule and carried out the task to answer in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), the correct answer rate of the written answer was not much different between the three groups, but the group using the notebook did not. In addition to answering in a shorter time than the other two groups, the notebook group performed better than the tablet group for certain direct questions.
As a result of measuring the activity of the brain during this period, it was found that the activity increased in the premotor cortex and inferior frontal gyrus related to language processing, the hippocampus related to memory processing, and the area responsible for vision.The activity status was higher in the group using the paper notebook than in the other two groups.
The research group believes that when using a paper notebook, associative learning occurs in which visual information such as the location on the paper and the positional relationship of writing are simultaneously associated and memorized.
Paper information:[Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience] Paper notebooks vs. mobile devices: Brain activation differences during memory retrieval
