Read the text below.
People can memorize new information more easily when they draw, according to a study.
The study, conducted by University of Waterloo researchers, deems drawing as a better method of remembering information than writing. The researchers believe that drawing is so effective because it makes use of multiple brain functions, including visual, spatial, and verbal to name a few. In other words, drawing makes the mind efficient in absorbing details because the brain is more active.
The researchers came to that conclusion by conducting an experiment on young adults and elderly participants. The participants were asked to draw 15 words and to write down 15 more words. Afterward, they did an unrelated task. Then, they were given time to recall the words from the first activity.
Results showed that both young and old participants remembered the words they drew twice as well as those they simply wrote down. Although the younger ones remembered better in general, the study highlighted how well drawing helped the elderly in recalling information.
One of the researchers said that the findings could be helpful for people whose mental abilities are declining. These include the elderly and people who suffer from dementia, a mental illness that affects a person’s brain functions like remembering. Drawing is not a cure, but the researchers believe that it can help dementia patients hold on to their memories longer or even delay the effects of dementia.
The experiment only tested the participants’ memory recollection for single words. Now, the researchers are further studying whether drawing applies to enhanced memory recollection for other kinds of information.