http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/...-your.html

"You know you're bored when you start shading in the squares of your notebook. Apparently it's a habit that could be helping you to concentrate. In a neat little experiment, Jackie Andrade asked forty participants to listen to a monotone two and a half minute phone message about arrangements for a party. They were told the message would be dull, that there was no need to memorise it, but that they should write down the names of the people who would be able to attend the party. Crucially, half the participants were also told to 'doodle' as they listened, by shading in the squares and circles of their note-paper.

Afterwards, the doodlers had noted fractionally more of the correct names (7.8 on average vs. 7.1 - a statistically significant difference). What's more, moments later, the doodlers also excelled in a surprise memory test of the guests' names and the places mentioned in the message, recalling 29 per cent more details than the non-doodlers... "

Actually, I don't think that small a difference is statistically significant with a population that small. They either need a lot more people, or a bigger difference. The 29% might be significant, though.

However, if you're already prone to doodling anyhow, doing it while learning probably won't hurt any.

Didn't chuu already post something about this?

I swear for me personally this is true. I drew a ton in class growing up, and now that I'm back in school I'm doing it again. For me it gives me something to do during the lecture. I think in a conversation you get to interact more with the speaker, and exchange energy and information. But if you have to sit and listen for an extended period of time without anything to "do", your mind may want to wander more. Doodling satisfies this need, and a side effect is that you can listen better maybe. In a class where things are more interactive, with lots of class discussion and/or activities, I rarely draw. But in the ones where the teacher just talks and talks, I draw a shit ton, and it helps keep me more focused, even though it may look like I'm not paying attention at all. I also come up with some good drawings, because I'm not trying to "do" art, as I'm focused more on the lecture - I can kind of tap into a creative drawing flow....
Just my thoughts about it.