Doodle Zone

An article by Dina Fine Maron IN Newsweek Web Exclusive, Feb 26, 2009,

http://www.newsweek.com/id/186738

TASK 1: Fill in the gaps with ONLY ONE word. (9 marks)

In a victory for absent-minded scribblers everywhere, one study now suggests _____ doodling
can help your memory. Though research suggests multitasking or daydreaming can be
distracting, psychologist Jackie Andrade of the University of Plymouth in England thought
_____ might be a different story for a simple task _____ doodling.

She asked 40 adult volunteers _____ listen to a monotonous mock telephone message about a
party. Half the participants were told to doodle (filling ____ some random printed shapes)
while listening to the message and to write down mentioned partygoers' names but to ignore
all the _____ information. The other half were told to do the _____, except they weren't given
the doodling option. Later all 40 listeners were asked ______ they remembered from the
message on a surprise memory test. The results, published online Thursday in Applied
Cognitive Psychology, suggest that the doodlers actually had better recall: _____ average they
remembered 29 percent more information, and they also wrote down more partygoers' names
accurately.

Andrade spoke with NEWSWEEK's Dina Fine Maron about the benefits of doodling, and
why texting might be the anti-doodle. Excerpts:

TASK 2. Match the questions with the answers in the interview. (9 marks)

MARON: _______________________________ (1)

ANDRADE: I was interested in daydreaming, although we didn't actually measure
daydreaming. When you have something really boring to do in a laboratory, you aren't just
doing that task—you are thinking about shopping, picking the kids up from school, what
you're going to have for tea. We don't usually take those things into account. Daydreaming
takes up a lot of mental energy and can be distracting. I had the idea that maybe some small,
simple task would catch just enough energy to keep you focused on the [main] task at hand,
and though it wouldn't make the task you're doing less boring, it could help you focus.

_______________________________________ (2)
Doodling can be a good thing. If there's a choice between doodling and daydreaming, you're
better off if your students are doodling. Of course, it's best if you aren't boring them at all, but
doodling isn't necessarily a sign of your students being naughty—it's a sign that it may be
hard for them to concentrate without something visual.

_______________________________________(3)
I think I might be. If it's a sign of them being bored, then it would worry me a bit. Really,
they're more likely to text each other, though.

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_______________________________________(4)
No, I think not. I think that's them just being distracted.

_______________________________________(5)
I think that probably involves more effort. The thing about the doodle is that it's much easier
to do because it's so repetitive. 

_______________________________________(6)
Not that I'm aware of, certainly not like this. There is certainly a good amount on
daydreaming. One of the things we do know about daydreaming is that it uses a lot of mental
effort. You'll actually find quite high levels of arousal in the brain during daydreaming; the
brain is always looking for things to do.

_______________________________________(7) 
Another obvious area [to look at] is listening to the radio. People like to throw it on and listen
to music while doing other things. That might be another area to look into. For now, though,
we were looking at something that is predominantly visual. Usually, if you do two things at
once there's a competition for resources to do other tasks, but with doodling it's just so simple.

______________________________________(8)
People do it naturally, and I like to look at applying psychology to real life. And it's visual.
Someone may do this while listening to a lecture or on the phone. I actually do doodle a lot
when I'm on the phone because there's nothing to look at.

______________________________________(9)
I was. Now I'm not, but I was.

Questions:
Are you doodling right now?
Can any other activities help people fight boredom but still allow them to focus on their main task?
Does this only apply to doodling, or can it also relate to more elaborate drawing in class?
Do you think texting also helps them with their memory?
Is anyone else doing research on this?
Is that why you chose doodling, then?
So, in light of your findings, will you be more willing to allow your students to doodle in class?
Why do a study on doodling?
What are the implications for someone in a school setting?

TASK 3. Find the correct ending to the sentences based on the information in the article.
(8 marks – 2 each)

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 1. Daydreaming is
A) bad because it is distracting.
B) good but a little distracting.
C) good because it doesn’t use much mental energy.

2. During the research

A) people listened to party sounds and had to remember everything that they could.
B) people were given a memory test that they were informed about beforehand.
C) people only knew that they were supposed to remember names that they heard.

3. People who doodled

A) remembered 29 percent more
B) remembered 29 percent less
C) remembered 29 percent more accurately

4. Performing a small simple task during different activities is

A) better then daydreaming but doesn’t help much in learning.
B) good because it helps people concentrate.
C) just as good as doing nothing in particular but the task on hand.

TASK 4. Which would be the most suitable subtitle for the article? (2 marks)

A) Doodle when you have nothing to look at and you learn more quickly.

B) Turns out, doodling during class—or meetings—may actually help your concentration. (If
only the same were true for texting.)

C) Dream on! Daydreaming doesn’t use as much mental effort as we thought. You might
remember more.

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 Key

TASK 1

that, it, like, to, in, other, same, what, on

TASK 2

1. Why do a study on doodling?

2. What are the implications for someone in a school setting?

3. So, in light of your findings, will you be more willing to allow your students to doodle in

class?

4. Do you think texting also helps them with their memory?

5. Does this only apply to doodling, or can it also relate to more elaborate drawing in

class?

6. Is anyone else doing research on this?

7. Can any other activities help people fight boredom but still allow them to focus on

their main task?

8. Is that why you chose doodling, then?

9. Are you doodling right now?

TASK 3

1: A, 2: C, 3:A, 4: B

TASK 4



If you scored 22 marks or more: EXCELLENT JOB, your English is great! Now don’t

neglect your foreign language skills.

If you scored 17 marks or more: CONGRATULATIONS! You have passed the exam!

If you scored less than 17 marks: don’t worry, it only takes a little more practice!

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