What was the aim of Andrade's study on doodling?

The aim of Andrade's study was to investigate whether doodling assists in information processing. This research was designed to explore how engaging in a simple, repetitive task like doodling could impact the ability to retain information presented in a boring or monotonous context, such as listening to a telephone message. Andrade hypothesized that doodling might actually help individuals maintain focus and facilitate better recall when later tasked with memory retrieval.

In the context of memory and attention, the study showed that participants who doodled while listening to the information were better able to remember the names of people and places mentioned in the message compared to those who did not doodle. This suggests that doodling serves as a means to enhance cognitive processing by keeping the mind engaged and reducing the likelihood of daydreaming or losing focus on the auditory information.