Efficacy of Three Common Study Methods

Abstract

30 college males in liberal arts curricula were assigned to study passages by 3 different methods: reading, reading with underlining, and reading with note taking. When verbal intelligence (Scholastic Aptitude Test-Verbal) was held constant, the 3 groups did not differ on questions about comprehension of passages. The findings question the assumed value of underlining and note-taking during study and imply that future research might better be aimed at improving verbal rather than study skills in undergraduate populations.