Depends what you do at the same time. If you walk your dog or play a video game, you probably retain as much as reading. I mean it's not like people don't skip parts or start thinking about something else when they read.
Re:Podcasts are my new Wikipedia
by FalconSensei on Friday May 15, 2020 @04:21PM
(#23196954)
I really doubt you'll retain as much as dedicated reading if you are listening to a podcast and playing a game. Unless it's a game where you don't need to think/read at all.
Regarding walking your dog: that's true. Walking around is a good way to retain information. That's explained on Moonwalking With Einstein
Why on earth would I listen to a podcast while playing a game? Though TBH I mostly don't much care for background audio when doing other things that involve any real thinking. Podcasts are mostly for driving, cleaning, etc.
I don't do much thinking when playing a FPS game
Re:Podcasts are my new Wikipedia
by Chathamization on Friday May 15, 2020 @04:08PM
(#23196813)
I suppose it depends on the individual. I personally haven't found podcasts to be worse than written sources when it comes to retention.
I used to listen to a number of podcasts regularly, but I would repeatedly notice that I barely remembered what the key points were. In the end, I cut down my consumption more and more, and only listen to episodes that I specifically find interesting, and only when I have the time and mental resources to really listen to them.