Question

[Ginseng]

Can y’all take notes and listen at the same time? I can listen, but when taking notes I miss out on a lot. I get confused and forget what was said. I was wondering if this is an autistic trait.

 

[Bolletje]

I can. I’m better at listening if I take notes while doing it.

 

[Cactus]

All through college I was unable to listen and take notes. I would always listen instead of taking notes, which wasn't ideal, but if I tried to do both, I would fail at both.

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one. I can relate to everything you said.

 

[MrSpock]

I wouldn't say that I'm completely unable to do both, but taking notes definitely detracts from the quality of my listening. I would rarely take notes apart from assignments and references to text page numbers, question numbers, titles etc.

The few times I did take notes I did so out of assurances from 'people who knew' that this was a good thing to do. I never quite believed them, but wouldn't contradict someone who claims that it works well for them.

I have no idea if this has anything to do with autism or not, or what might be at the root of it. I'm interested to hear what others think, nice topic.

 

[Southern Discomfort]

I was never really able to even think about making notes. But I know what can make all the different, record what was said in the lecture on your phone and play it back later.

 

[Ginseng]

I was never really able to even think about making notes. But I know what can make all the different, record what was said in the lecture on your phone and play it back later.

Exactly! I could have never made it through college if I couldn’t have recorded my teachers.

 

[MrSpock]

...record what was said in the lecture on your phone and play it back later.

I suppose I could have rigged something to record on it... but the cord wasn't long enough anyway.

 

[Tom]

I don't think it is an autistic trait. It is probably just many people (myself included) can't do two things at once).

 

[tree]

Transcription is not really hard for me.
The words go in my ears and then become
visible by way of my hands.

 

[MrSpock]

The words go in my ears and then become
visible by way of my hands.

If I've understood this correctly the following analogy should apply (and please correct me otherwise) - the verbal component is like a data stream entering a media player's buffer memory, as the viewer you're unaware of what happens until the results appear in the form of written words on the paper in front of you, as if by 'magic'? This is not to say that you're not listening to the words as they're spoken, rather I'm treating the flow of information to your hands as a separate thing from your conscious listening of the lecture (again, if this is inappropriate please say so).

 

[BraidedPony]

I took notes more like spock, wrote down the date something is due, what pages to read and any short word that stood out as important, like if the professor said, this is going to be on the exam....

 

[tree]

@MrSpock
That's more words than I'd use to describe it,
but it may be that way.


Input to ears
Passes through brain
Muscles act with tool use

Result: Words visible, either on paper or screen

 

[Illumination]

Nope, I cannot take notes and listen to people at the same time, but I don't like taking notes in general, I prefer to memorize something by reading it or learning about it on my own.

 

[MrSpock]

Input to ears
Through brain
Muscles act with tool use

Result: Words visible, either on paper or screen

I would say that this is a fair description of what occurs in me so far as it goes.

"Through brain" - occupying a fair bit of that processing power which is dedicated to language, and unable to keep up to typical speech at the same time as continuing to absorb speech. I tend to listen to parts of speech then ignore parts as I select what to write or type so as to achieve brevity without losing essential meaning and then actually writing it, the more that is written the more I ignore what is said.

 

[tree]

I would say that this is a fair description of what occurs in me so far as it goes.

"Through brain" - occupying a fair bit of that processing power which is dedicated to language, and unable to keep up to typical speech at the same time as continuing to absorb speech. I tend to listen to parts of speech then ignore parts as I select what to write or type so as to achieve brevity without losing essential meaning and then actually writing it, the more that is written the more I ignore what is said.

This would be a fun to look at flow chart.

 

[Ginseng]

Transcription is not really hard for me.
The words go in my ears and then become
visible by way of my hands.

Cool!

 

[Icequeen]

Depends if the room was totally quiet...maybe, it normally took all my concentration just to listen and block out the person in the 3rd row coughing or sniffling, I lose track of what has been said if I'm distracted, and that doesn't take much.

Same deal if someone interrupts me during an important phone call.

 

[Samuel]

I can't really do both at the same time but that's just me.

 

[SusanLR]

I can't take notes and listen.
It is like a type of multi-tasking and I'm not good at that.
The days of needing to do that for education purposes is long behind me,
but, when I did or occasionally need to now, it is like Mr. Spock speaks of.
Jotting down the important dates, pages, pertinent words, etc.
The more I write, the worse the listening becomes.

There was a post on here about multi-tasking once and it seemed most aren't good at it.
I think it could be an autistic trait. Don't really know. Just seemed like a lot of answers were
can't do two things at once.

 

[Progster]

No, I can't listen and write at the same time, and I don't think that anyone can actually - I have to listen, then write, listen, then write, and it's hard to when the speaker keeps on speaking. However, it does help to keep me focused on the lecture so my mind doesn't wander. I always had difficulty in the listening component of language exams because of this.