Sherfield and Moody Cornerstones
Topic: Study
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
1
Did You Know…
• If your brain was fed ten new pieces of
information every second for the rest of your
life, you would not even fill half of your
memory capacity?
… so, how do we tap into our amazing
memories?
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
2
Facts about Memory
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Everyone remembers and forgets info.
Your senses take in info.
With little effort you can remember some info.
With rehearsal (study) you can remember more
Without use, info. is forgotten
Filing incoming info. correctly will help retain it
Stored info. must have a retrieval method
Mnemonics, repetition, association, and
rehearsal will help with storage and retrieval
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
3
Sensory Memory
• Information gathered from five senses
• Huge capacity
• Short duration – 1 to 3 seconds
• Concentrating on info. in sensory memory will
move it to your short-term memory
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
4
Short-term Memory
• Also called “working memory”
• Holds information for short period of time
• Holds limited amount of information
– Five to nine separate pieces or facts
• Rehearing information in STM will move it to
your long-term memory
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
5
Long-Term Memory
• Huge capacity:
– Info. you have heard or seen often
– Info. you use often
– Info. you have deemed necessary or important
• Like a computer disk with many files
• Effort and memory techniques will help you
store anything you want to remember
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
6
VCR3 Memory Technique
•
•
•
•
•
V – Visualizing
C – Concentrating
R – Relating
R – Repeating
R – Reviewing
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
7
Memorizing v. Owning Info.
• Memorizing something is short-lived
• Owning is making a commitment to truly
knowing the information and to making it a
part of your life
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
8
Mnemonics
• Mnemosyne – Greek Goddess of Memory
• Memory techniques/tricks for
storage/retrieval
• “bizarreness effect” helps with memory
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
9
Types of Mnemonics
• Jingles/rhymes
– ABC’s
• Sentences
Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally
• Words
– HOMES
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
10
Types of Mnemonics
• Story lines
– Weave details into a creative story
• Acronyms
– SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing
apparatus)
• Pegging
– Attaching new info. to old pegs
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
11
Avoid Cramming
• Study each day to avoid last-minute stress
• Form a study group with motivated students
• Keep up with daily reading and homework
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
12
Studying in a Crunch
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Depressurize
Know the score
Read it quick – H2FLIB
Make connections
Use your syllabus/study guide
See it
Check your notes
Choose wisely
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
13
ReducingTest Anxiety
•
•
•
•
•
•
Control negative self-talk
Study daily and overlearn the material
Arrive early and prepared for test
Jot down your mnemonics right away
Read instructions and entire test carefully
Answer questions you know first
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
14
Be Testwise!
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What types and how many questions?
What chapters/sections will be covered?
Is there a time limit?
Are there any special instructions?
Is there a study sheet?
Is there a review session?
What is the grade value of the test?
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
15
Types of Responses
• Quick-time response: you immediately know
the answer, so respond
• Lag-time response: move on and the answer
may come to you later
• No response: move on and make an intelligent
guess later
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
16
Common Question Types
•
•
•
•
•
Matching
True-False
Multiple-Choice
Short Answer – writing skills a factor
Essay – writing skills a factor
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
17
Topic Reflections
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Study hardest material first
Review lecture and textbook notes frequently
Use mnemonics
Learn using a variety of techniques
Be “testwise”
Review entire test before beginning
Ignore pace of classmates
Be aware of the time while testing
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
18