What Does Doodling do in Chinese tasks: measuring the difference between Chinese and English with expected outcomes

Abstract

Previous studies have demonstrated that different types of doodling, a way of passing time to release boredom, have either positive or negative influences on one's ability to concentrate and memory. However, previous studies are limited to alphabetic languages, such as English, whereas character-based languages, such as Chinese, are underrepresented to a great extent. Therefore, the current study attempts to extend the extant research by considering the effects of two types of doodling on attention and recall during Chinese tasks and their difference between Chinese and English. In the present experiment, a total of 200 participants, including 100 individuals whose mother language is Chinese and English respectively, are randomly allocated to one of three conditions (structured doodling, unstructured doodling, and control). The concentration and recall performance of participants are measured by writing down the names and places during and after listening to a mundane telephone message. The results suggest that although structured doodling aids concentration in Chinese, the assistance is less than that in English.