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The Effects of Lecture Speed and Note-Taking on Memory for Educational Material
Ashley Chen, Dillon H. Murphy, Jordan A. Brabec, Robert A. Bjork, and Elizabeth L. Bjork
ABSTRACT
The use of pre-recorded lecture videos as a primary mode of instruction during online learning has allowed students flexibility in how they self-regulate their learning. Although increasing lectures up to 2x speed has little cost on memory, it is unknown whether note-taking at increased speeds interacts with memory. Participants watched lecture videos at 1x or 2x speed while some simultaneously took notes (Experiment 1: laptop, Experiment 2: longhand). We found that test performance numerically declined as speed increased (significant in Experiment 1) and observed a mnemonic benefit of note-taking, regardless of modality (laptop, longhand). Post-hoc analyses revealed no significant differences in performance between individuals who took notes at 2x speed and took no notes at 1x speed. Hence, note-taking may help compensate for disadvantages to learning caused by greater lecture speed. Overall, when watching accelerated lecture videos, it is recommended to take notes, as it sup- ports memory for lecture content.