5.12 The pen is mightier than the keyboard. Is longhand note-taking more effective for learning than taking notes on a laptop? Researchers at two universities studied this issue. In one of the studies, 65 students listened to five talks. Students were randomly assigned either a laptop or a notebook for purposes of taking notes. Assume that 33 students were assigned to use laptops and 32 longhand. Whether taking notes on a laptop or by hand in a notebook, students were instructed to use their normal note-taking strategy. Thirty minutes after the lectures, participants were tested with conceptual application questions based on the lectures. Those taking notes by hand performed better than those taking notes on a laptop. Why is instructing students to use their normal note-taking strategy a problem if the goal is to determine the effect on learning of note-taking on a laptop as compared to note-taking by hand?