Here is a list of study techniques that should prove helpful.
Since I’ve listed every technique I could think of, it’s a fairly long list.
So please don’t feel like you have to use each and every one of them.
Just select a few that sound like they would be useful and try them out.
If they’re not as helpful as you thought they would be, then try some others.
Study Techniques
 Read the text – This is critical for your success!
 How many times?

At least twice


Read it through the 1st time fast just to get the general idea
Read it through a 2nd time when you’re ready to begin studying
 When?

Read the chapter the 1st time through before our lecture begins
 While reading the text:




Look up any words that you don’t know in the dictionary
Highlight, underline, or make notes in the margins of any key points
Make outlines, charts, tables, and/or flashcards for important concepts and
key terms (see the last section of slides for more information on this)
Practice recalling the information from memory as you read

So read a paragraph or two, then cover it up and try to recall the important
pieces of information you just read
Study Techniques (con’t)
 Take notes in class on your Lecture Notes PowerPoints
 Fill-ins don’t count as notes, although they may be signals for the key
terms you will see on the quiz
 Make a note of the main point behind each slide or section of slides if
it’s mentioned in class
 Circle or highlight the parts of the slide that were referenced in class
 Use the online Learning Objectives to identify the important
concepts that will be on the quiz
 Learning objectives can really help you scale back the amount of
information you need to study for each quiz
 Use Weiten’s Concept Chart booklet (if you have one) to help
you better visualize the important concepts
Study Techniques (con’t)
 Do all of the PsykTrek activities for each chapter
 Consider getting into study groups and studying with others
 Consider tutoring
 Check out the information on “how to study for an exam” at
http://www.frontiernet.net/~jlkeefer/exams.htm
 A 1.5-page document that talks about recitation, diagrams, writing,
cues, study cards, chunking, and mnemonics (or memory techniques)
 Check out Chapter 4 of your Activities Manual for more strategies
on studying and taking quizzes
Study Techniques (con’t)
 Check out the publisher’s website (link shown below) for:
 flashcards
 glossary
 sample quizzes of multiple-choice and true-false items
 If you use the site, however, please remember that the
publisher’s learning objectives are DIFFERENT from ours
 Since the publisher generally has more learning objectives than we do,
you may be asked questions about key terms and concepts that you
won’t see on our quiz
http://www.wadsworth.com/cgiwadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&flag=student&product_isbn_issn=978049510058
4&disciplinenumber=24
Study Techniques (con’t)
 Don’t cram – Do small chunks of studying at a time
 Every 30-60 minutes, take a break to remember more and to give
the left hemisphere of your brain a rest

Frequent breaks help you remember more because people tend to
remember the first and last items they studied best during a study period
 All the stuff in the middle, however, they typically forget
 So studying for shorter periods of time means that you don’t have as
much “middle stuff” to forget

When you take a break, give your left hemisphere a rest (the side of your
brain that’s used in verbal tasks) by doing visual or tactile things


So walk, listen to music, exercise, stretch, get a snack, do a puzzle, meditate,
relax, do a craft or hobby, take a shower, take a drive, etc.
Don’t watch TV, or surf the internet, or check your email, or talk on the phone,
or text message because these are all verbal tasks
 Tackle the hardest topics after a break, when you’re freshest
Taking Multiple-Choice Tests
 Read through all the questions once
 Answering the easy questions
 Go back through the questions a second time
 Answering the more difficult questions
 Go back through the questions one last time
 To double-check all of your answers

Should you ever change any of your “first reaction” answers?
 Yes! Research indicates that people’s first impressions of the
correct answers are often wrong.
DIAGRAMMING INFORMATION
The next section of slides provides some examples of how you can diagram
information to help you learn and remember it better.
Research has shown that the type of diagram you use while studying
influences both your learning and your retention of information
(Robinson, Robinson, & Katayma, 1995).
Studies indicate that graphic organizers and concept maps are the most
helpful diagrams for learning and memory because they allow you to
review the information in various ways.
Although the following examples are relatively simple and probably quite easy to
remember, they are simply meant to illustrate the various ways you can diagram
information while studying.
UNDERLINING & HIGHLIGHTING TEXT
People typically “study” by underlining or highlighting important words and
concepts in their text.
Read through the following text once and then advance to the next slide.
Which warbler is primarily gray and black?
Magnolia warbler
OUTLINES
Sometimes people outline the information in their text while studying.
This is more useful as it helps to focus your attention on the important facts
you want to remember by taking it out of a textual context.
Review the outline
once and then
advance to the
next slide.
Which hawk has the largest range?
Cooper’s hawk
GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
An even better way to diagram information is by using a graphic organizer.
Graphic organizers help you focus your attention on the key points that
you’re trying to learn, plus they allow you to easily compare and contrast
those points across different sectors. This leads to deeper processing and
understanding of the material, which in turn leads to better memory.
Review the graphic organizer once and then advance to the next slide.
Which squirrel has the largest sized litter?
Red squirrel
Which squirrel has the smallest sized litter?
Abert’s squirrel
CONCEPT MAPS
Concept maps can also be used to diagram information. When you draw a
concept map, you simply illustrate the information and its relationships by
using circles, squares, arrows, or other types of diagrammatic aids.
Concept maps
help you focus
your attention
on the key points
and, if not too
complicated like
this one, allow
you to compare
those points across
different sectors.
Review the
concept map
once and then
advance to the
next slide.
Which bird places its nest nearest the ground?
Sage thrasher
So when it comes to studying and
remembering,
which types of diagrams are the best to use?
Underlining & Highlighting Text
These are the best for learning & memory
Graphic Organizers
Concept Maps
Outlines