| Abstract: | There is considerable research on notetaking in academic settings but relatively little of it in non‐academic ones. This paper reviews the effects of notetaking in legal situations, counselling and interviewing, and assesses the usefulness of notetaking as a memory aid for older people and as a prospective memory device for brain‐injured persons. The results suggest that: notetaking has no significant effect on recall in ‘real‐life’ jury situations; there is some evidence that notetaking by counsellors in counselling sessions might be harmful for clients; there is some evidence that notetaking in interviews can reduce bias in decision making; there is some evidence that notetaking is helpful for older persons; and that too little research has been conducted on the use of notetaking as a device for aiding the prospective memory for brain‐injured persons to reach any firm conclusions. The general limitations of the research are reviewed and implications for future work considered. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
