Tag Archives: Memory

First Impression Post Week 6

--Original published at Melissa's Blog

I chose to respond to the first prompt about how memory is related to study habits. When I study I prefer to start several days before the exam date. Usually I set a goal to study 4 or 5 days in advanced for my exams, so I can gradually learn the material. This tactic helped me immensely throughout high school, and usually had promising results. In college this goal has been more challenging to achieve because I tend to be preoccupied with my assignments for other classes. During the first semester I had an easier time utilizing this study strategy compared to the current semester. Recently I have had many assignments and, thus, much less time to focus on studying for my exams. For instance, for this past psychology exam I wanted to begin studying 5 days before the exam date because it was the first one, but I was too busy with other assignments. Instead, I started studying heavily 2 days before the exam. Although I did retain a lot of knowledge studying this way, it was extremely stressful. I felt crammed and pressured because I didn’t have enough time to study as thoroughly as I wanted. For my future exams I am going to make sure I begin studying about 5 days in advance, so I don’t need to learn so much information at once.

When I use my preferred studying strategy I read over my notes once every day, but multiple times as the test date gets closer. Also, I try to quiz myself by writing down everything I know from memory on a white board. Writing down the information I remember makes me aware of what I am confident in and what I should study more. In addition, I find it helpful to study and review in groups. I benefit from discussing the material with others, as well as quizzing others. This strategy works well when I have time to put in the effort, but since time is scarce I need to start planning and better managing my schedule. Also, I am always open to new study suggestions and improvements.

First Impression Week #6

--Original published at Nadia's Blog

For this First Impression Post, I chose to write about my study habits and how i prepared for the first exam.  Going into the first exam I was extremely nervous and had no idea what to expect, and that seems to be common for every first exam with a new professor. Evidently I have come to realize it takes trial and error to find the perfect study method for each class.

My plan of action was to take in depth notes from the textbook to ensure I understood the material that we had learned in lecture as well as learnt the additional information that would be on the exam. Reviewing these notes with examples really helped me understand the overall concepts better. Along with the textbook notes, I read through my lecture notes many, many times. I would get together with a few people and read the notes out loud, slide by slide and discuss the major points. As we would get to the next lectures notes we would go back and ask one another questions from the previous lectures to better retain the information. Additionally I would re-write my notes, which I believe helps me stay focused when studying, and allows me to not slack. Occasionally I would write on the white boards and list the names important people and write all that I knew about them and go back and add more. I felt that this method was beneficial and allowed myself to be tested before the actual exam. By these multiple methods I felt prepared for the exam.  Lastly I took the chapter quizzes multiple times, to get practice on what types of questions may be asked.

My method was to definitely over learn, and although I felt confident with my method I am always in search of a better way to retain the information. My way of studying is very time intensive and it would be beneficial to have a less time consuming method.

First Impression Post #5

--Original published at JanellesCollegeBlog

For this first impression post, I chose to write about Option 1 of memory relating to study habits. The most common way that I use to study is by rereading all the notes that I have taken over and over again until they are put into memory. This is my fall back method of studying although I know that it is not the most effective way to retain information. This is why I have been trying to branch out in my studying techniques. What I do well when I study is reading the chapters, reading my notes and comments from lectures, and recently I have been writing out information on white boards to make concept maps or visually see the terms and names of individuals out in front of me. Something that I do not do a lot of but need to improve on is testing myself throughout my time studying. I need to think about the questions that I will be asked as well as other simple questions this way I get my mind into the answering questions mindset for exams.

In particular for the first exam, I took notes from the book for all the chapters, read those a lot, and reread all the notes from lecture. I also completed the study guide to see where I was having the most difficulty and went to the library to write out the names of all the psychologists and what they did on whiteboards. Finally, I tested myself with the practice exam and reviewed the answers. For the second exam, I would focus more on testing myself while studying. I know that I did this with the practice exam, but I should use the practice set questions on Canvas more. This would be a good way to get used to more complex questions. Also, I should go through the chapters in the book and answer the questions in there because they usually sum up the main ideas and definitions that provide a base for all the other information. This would make the information more permanent because I feel like if you get a question wrong and then dig into the question to fully understand why you got it wrong, the information is more likely to stick in your head.

I believe that I have a good handle on studying, but I am really interested in ways that I can improve my habits and make my techniques more effective.

Week 6: Memory

--Original published at Manda's College Blog

I haven’t been in a school setting since graduation high school in 2008 and even then I had very poor study habits. I didn’t really care all too much about my education back then due to having my future set by enlisting in the Army even before I graduated. I never really thought about my plans if I were to get out after I was done and now… here I am. Being older I want to mention I am now much more serious about pursing an education then I was when being 18, 19 years old. I believe if I tried college right after high school I would have dropped out and would be completely lost. Being much more serious about college now, I really want to succeed. My study routine was taking a bunch of notes and reading the material over and over again; not really understanding the material. For my first psychology exam I used flashcards, putting psychologists names and definitions on there trying to remember who, what, when, where and why. When I would take a practice exam, the questions that were asked didn’t match the generic definitions on my flashcards. So I learned quickly that you have to actually know the material to understand the scenarios that were presented. I kept retaking the practice quizzes and had my significant other ask my the questions out of the exam and out of the book out of order.

Though it was a good routine I still didn’t do so hot on the exam, I kept looking for keywords that I studied and the scenarios were so much different. So again I learned that I still don’t understand the material. As of right now I’m working with the Professor once a week to learn by visuals and hands on practice. A recent example is I printed out a picture of a cell and I told him honestly I don’t understand the picture at all. We sat down and he explained that whenever a sensory or motor neuron gets triggered it goes through the action potential. Action potential sends the Neurotransmitters that are in the vesicles and flows into the synapse and thats where the gila goes through to sweep up the NT that didn’t get sent into the receiving neuron. Neurotransmitters that weren’t received get sent back up into the vesicle through the serotonin transporter. And so now whatever sensory or motor neuron is triggered it can now be processed in brain and or muscle. So I’m hoping that this routine is helping me. That is my routine currently.

First Impression Post; Week 6

--Original published at marybraun99

I am choosing to do option one, which is the way that I currently study and how I believe that my current study habits should be changed. Currently, when I study I only tend to look over my notes, and skim through the chapters of the book. When I study, I don’t tend to try to answer questions and question what I know – I just try to absorb more information all in one period of time, rather than spreading it out throughout a week or two span of time. I try to squeeze in all of my studying all in one night, which I know is totally not the way to go about studying, however, I have a horrible concentration time, and I can’t switch back and forth between subject well. So, whenever I have two tests for different courses in the same week, I squeeze in and then the other, because my brain (I think) can’t retain information the way that I would like it to.

Now, I think that the correct way to study and memorize things is to spread it out little by little when you first start getting the content that is needed, and then when you are finally done, and doing the final study just do one last look over everything and question yourself, make a study guide with questions to answer, or have somebody else ask you questions so that you can learn what you actually do know, instead of looking over something and just assuming that you know the information.

For the second exam in this class, I have already started reading the book, and looking over notes that we have already taken, hoping that spreading it out little by little, even in between other courses will help me to maintain the information a little better, and the more I look at it, (hopefully) the more I will understand it.

Week 6 First Impression Prompt – Memory

Hand writing on a notebook

We’re back to the normal schedule for blog posts, so this first impression post will be due by the beginning of class on Monday, 2/19. The refinement posts for this prompt will be due Sunday, 2/25, at 5pm. Regardless of which prompt you choose, please use the Tag “Memory” on your post:

Option 1:

One of the topics we will discuss related to memory is study habits. For this post, critique your current study habits. Discuss what do you do well and what do you need to improve. In particular, I want you to discuss how you studied for the first exam in this class and share any changes you might make for the second exam to improve your preparation. We will see how closely your ideas reflect what the research says about improving your memory for learned information.

Option 2:

Not all memories are created equal. Some seem to be so powerfully etched in our minds that we can recall them almost perfectly later in life. For example, many people from my parents’ generation know exactly what they were doing when President Kennedy was assassinated. A more recent example would be what you were doing when you heard of the terrorist attacks on 9/11 in 2001. Then there are all the personal life events we remember “like they were yesterday.” Why do you think some memories are so much stronger than others? Explain your theory and propose a way to study how accurate these powerful memories really are.

I look forward to seeing what you write!

Header image: CC by Flickr user Caitlinator

Spotlight Blog Studying and memory

--Original published at Site Title

When you are growing up as a child in Middle school or High school, it is very important that you learn and develop good study habits over the years.  Parents play a very big roll in this because they provide the material, and the studying space where you study your material. They provide the environment and the home that you live in and that plays a big roll because if you have noisy parents or parents that are always arguing its probably hard to learn the material. Some things that parents can do to help their children study is make a routine for meals and for study time. It is good to do this because then the child has a habit for studying his school work right after he eats a meal. And this is the best time to study because your you not thinking about eating just studying. In addition parents need to provide a special place for the kids to study. Sometimes studying in your room is not the most effective way to learn the material. When kids are in their room sometimes they get distracted or feel like they can slack off because no one is watching them. Personally when I’m studying in my room I don’t get anything done because I’m always on my phone or watching tv. This is why when I study, I turn off the tv and I put my phone face down so its not a distraction. Your friends can wait but studying for a test that you have tomorrow cannot wait. Also, another good think that parents can do to help their children study is offer to review the material with them periodically. Do this so that they don’t feel pressured and feel like they have to know all the information perfectly the first time you quiz them.

Sources :http://extension.illinois.edu/succeed/habits.cfm


Study Strategies: Beginning, Middle, End.

--Original published at Kyle's Gen Psych Blog

After discussing my own study strategies and what i plan to do to for myself. It would be helpful to look at what others advise to students like me, and those unlike me. In this post i will look at study strategies suggested for the various stages of your academic life cycle.

High school:

In this article from LiveAbout.com it is suggested to study alone, remove distractions, take breaks, use flashcards, & DONT CRAM.

The advice they give on studying alone i can understand because a majority of high schoolers (and college students) tend to get distracted when studying in groups. This and the removal of outside distractions (music, tv, people, etc.) definitely have potential to lead to healthier study habits, as having these distractions removed takes away to temptation to stall and allow you to focus fully on studying. They also mention taking break every 15 to 30 minutes, this is good if not great advice because this matches up directly with the spacing effect and allows the brain to not become burnt out on focusing on that single task. Most importantly they advise against “cramming” which may be the most important piece of advice in the article. I say this because if this study technique is cemented as a habit early on it can have dangerous consequences later in your academic career. Although they do not state why cramming is bad scientifically i do know that it is a negative habit due to the amount of information you are taking in and that encoding that information when cramming tends to be less effective than when your study time is spaced out.

Source: https://www.liveabout.com/high-school-study-tips-for-students-how-to-pass-the-test-3196554

College Students:

I personally hate repetition so i will only be listing techniques not listed previously. This is because study techniques are not meant to only be for part of your life but they are like houses, without a good foundation you cannot hope to further progress confidently (That is unless you go back and change those foundations ? ).

The highlights of this article include taking good notes, staying away from tech, and  staying organized. One that i agree with completely is keeping good notes. I learn through doing something physically and that psychical interaction allows my brain to encode and retrieve the information that I write down more easily.  The key is to not just mindlessly write down what is on the board or what the teacher is saying. It is understanding what is important in what the teacher is saying. You can have a whole manuscript of a movie but if you don’t understand the message of the movie then the transcript is useless. The idea of distancing ones self from technology while studying is an interesting one. It can be beneficial as that is just one less temptation you have to go through facebook/reddit when you should really be studying. Yet one habit i wish i had was the ability to be organized and keep a effective planner.

Source: https://www.campusexplorer.com/college-advice-tips/2DF9E34D/7-Best-Study-Tips-for-College-Students/

Parents:

In this article it focus’ on the habits we can pass down to our children and those younger than ourselves. The most important tips that i can designate are these. To know your expectations in the classes ahead, think positively, and actively listening. Going into a class and knowing what to expect and what is expected of you helps to set a certain tone for the class (Thats what syllabi are for!). Another factor in healthy learning is the mood in which you are in while learning. If you can find yourself in a positive mind set while learning you will be more open to learning more effectively and retaining the information because you want to learn the material. Active listening however is something that will play a part in your note taking experience and the quality of your notes. The attention paid to the teacher or material at this point would allow memories and material to better stay with you after the fact.

 

Source: http://www.sylvanlearning.com/blog/index.php/10-good-study-habits-new-school-year/


Spotlight Blog: Memory

--Original published at BillardnBlog

Having good study habits is crucial in all levels of education. Learning better ways to study at a young age can improve throughout years of schooling and can make studying a much simpler, less stressful task at higher levels. Its not about how long you study a subject but how well you learn it and thus able to retain it. Spending numerous hours on a single topic with poor study habits is time wasted as the information is not being retained properly and then not able to be recalled later for an exam. Its best to figure out what works well for an individual when it comes to studying. Although it may be difficult to find the best methods, there are many sources that give studying advice to all levels of students.

As said before, learning good study skills at a younger age can be beneficial later. This all begins with a young child’s parents. There are ways for a parent to help their child learn better study habits. Advice I found to parents was having a designated work space for their kid to study and work on homework. Parents should help their child with time management, seeing how long different assignments will take and allowing enough time to complete them (Staff). This is similar to distributed practice, studying or working in smaller parts rather than all at one time (MacFarlane). This source also mentioned mnemonics or the tricks to help recall information later. This could either be a song or rhyme or abbreviation to help remember larger concepts. I believe this is good advice to a parent in order to help their kids learn good study habits which will help later in their education.

At higher levels of education such as high school, there is more specific advice given to students for better study habits. A source I found did reiterate finding a specific place to study that allows no distractions while working. Again it states that a student should split up their work or alternate between subjects. They further elaborated and gave advice to take handwritten notes while reading information and then turn the notes into flashcards (VLACS).  This is good study advice because given in an online lecture, Dr. Ian MacFarlane stated how just reading notes or the material is not productive and only gives false impression that the student understands the information. Another good study habit that was suggested is to self-study and self-testing. Studying the information in similar ways it would be tested on an exam is good for learning the material (MacFarlane). One piece of advice given from this source was not the best. It suggested to students that they should be reviewing notes and materials weekly. It is best to review notes within the same day they were taken to further understand the material.

I am able to mostly relate to the study advice given to college students. It becomes even more detailed about the best ways for studying at this level of education. A common theme through all ages of studying is the breakdown of time and either work in smaller chunks or alternate between various subjects. Studying in smaller bits over cramming information helps retain the information into long term memory. Cramming only puts the information into short term memory and it is harder to recall during an exam. It was suggested that a student should allow around 30 to 50 minutes of studying for one subject and then have a ten minute break or move to another topic. It’s advised to review notes within 24 hours of taking them to make sure you understand the material and then focus on things that you don’t. A statistic was given “…retention rate is 60% higher when information is reviewed within 24 hours of hearing” (Media). It is restated that a way to help remember information is applying meaning to it. Either use a personal experience or mental image. Stated in lecture by professor MacFarlane, this is known as semantic encoding and allows for most retention of information. Being able to relate the information to as many things as possible make it easier to recall the information later.

There are many overlapping ways to help get the best out of your study session. You want to learn the material rather than just familiarize it. If it has meaning and purpose theres a more likely chance of being able to recall it. There is many resources to help plan an effective study schedule, find the ways that work best for you.

Sources:

MacFarlane, Ian . “General Psychology Mini-Lecture 4: Memory and Studying.” YouTube,         YouTube, 1 Oct. 2017, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU2QNlGPYxQ&feature=youtu.be.

Media, Column Five. “How to Study: Studying Tips for College Students.” Rasmussen                 College – Regionally Accredited College Online and on Campus, Rasmussen College, 15           Nov. 2011, http://www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/college-life/how-to-study/

Staff, GreatSchools. “Study skills for middle school and beyond.” Parenting, 22 Feb. 2016,         www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/study-skills-for-middle-school-and-beyond/.

“Top 10 Study Tips for Students.” VLACS, 13 Feb. 2017, vlacs.org/top-10-study-tips-                     students/.


Spotlight Post #1

--Original published at alanaspsy105blog

I chose Option 2: Memory for this spotlight post. The first website that I evaluated was called “Study Habits for College Students” from the Huffington Post. While this article gave examples of some good studying techniques it also gave a few pieces of questionable advice as well. Actually, the first piece of advice that the article gave contradicted something that we learned in class about memory. They said that by changing your location that you are studying in, it increases the likelihood that you will remember what you have learned. In class we discussed some things that help with retrieval of memories, including context clues. This means that we remember things better in the place where we first learned them. Some other studying tips the website gave were studying in groups, making flash cards, and do not spend all your time studying for one class. This advice seems to correlate with some of the things we talked about in class. Working in groups and making flash cards are good study tips as long as they are being used appropriately. It is not beneficial to be introduced to material for the first time when you are in a study group. So, when the article says that working in groups helps you to “divide and conquer” this is not always the case, at least when it comes to studying. Everyone should be familiar with all the content. Flashcards can be helpful as long as they are being shuffled and went through randomly. If a student goes through flashcards in the same order every time, they can pick up retrieval cues from cards around it, and are not effectively learning the material. One of the last tips about not spending all your time on one subject may be helpful as well, from what we learned in class. Studying only one subject for many hours can give a student a false sense of mastery. Instead of actually knowing the material, they are just picking up retrieval cues from looking over the same information in the same order. Once a student can mix up the information and still remember the correct answer, they know that they have successfully put the information in their long-term memory. The second article I read was titled “10 High School Study Tips for Students.” This article contained many of the same study tips as the first article, with a few exceptions. The first tip was to study alone; they chose this as a tip because high school students are more likely to get off-topic when in a group setting because the whole group may not be as serious as a college student who is paying over a thousand dollars to be in a class. They also mentioned looking over things right before an exam. The only problem I see with this is the information that the student is taking in most likely is only making its way into their working memory, not their long-term memory. So the most that the student can keep in their working memory is about seven pieces of information, not a whole exam’s worth of information. The third article I read was directed towards parents and called “7 Tips for Improving Your Child’s Homework and Study Skills.” This article was looking at memory from a different perspective. Some of the suggestions in this article seemed like a no-brainer, like to keep checking in on your child’s progress to make sure they are focused and getting their homework done. Some of the pieces of advice, however, also correlated with advice given to high school and college students such as setting a timer for your child so they are not working on one subject for too long. This shows that advice given to young students, can also be helpful as they get older.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/08/study-tips-for-college-_n_709096.html?slideshow=true#gallery/10344/0

https://www.liveabout.com/high-school-study-tips-for-students-how-to-pass-the-test-3196554

https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/learning-at-home/homework-study-skills/7-tips-for-improving-your-childs-homework-and-study-skills#slide-7