Studying is something we do from the time we are around 3 years old to the end of our lives. First we are studying the alphabet, how to count, when we learn to read and learn how to write out different letters like our name we quickly move to more complex areas to study like algebra, arithmetic, expanding our vocabulary, reading and writing comprehension, information on the different sciences, history, and the list could go on. Studying has not only been a big part of our youth but well into adulthood as well. Studying is not only something that is needed while you are in school it is often needed in the work place as well. Studying requires us to use our long-term memory to withhold the information needed to use at a later date. According to E. Bruce Goldstein there are 6 ways to help increase the effectiveness of one’s studying. These ways are: elaborate, generate and test, organize, take breaks, match learning and testing conditions, and avoid “illusions of learning”.

Elaboration is the first step of different ways I will discuss. Elaborative rehearsal is more effective at transferring information into long-term memory and it occurs when you are thinking about the meaning of an item or you make connections between an item and something you know (Goldstein, 2011). So you build on your existing knowledge to make a connection of what you are learning to make it easier to remember. Next is to generate and test the information you are studying which has been found to help strengthen, encode, and retrieve it in your LTM. You could this by using study guide questions, make up questions yourself, create a study guide to work off of, check your text to see if questions are provided, or look online to see if there are questions already created for the subject. This method helps you establish what you already know and will also help you remember it for a later time. When I help my 12 year old sister study we sit down and she creates her own questions on the subject she is learning and then I combine that with the study guide her teachers have provided as well. We go through the questions in a random order to and see what questions she gets right versus what she gets wrong. When she gets the question correct right away I take it out of the pile and put it to the side. This shows me that she already knows the answer to this and was able to successfully store it in her memory. I continue down the list and whatever question she gets incorrect or has trouble answering, I will put those back into the pile to review again. By doing it this way, I am able to assess what she already knows and what she still needs to work on. We will continue to go over the questions until she answers all of them quickly and confidently with the correct answers. Thankfully, this doesn’t take too long because my sister picks up things very quickly (Okay, I might be a little bias). I have found from my experience that she does much better on the exams where we do study this way opposed to when we do not.

Another way is to organize what you are studying in a way that makes sense to you. By doing this it would strengthen the encoding process and help retain what you are going over. This also helps to reduce the work your brain is doing to move the information into your memory. If you mix different subjects together like your notes from science class with your notes from history, it’s harder to remember. One night I had multiple exams to study for and to make sure I studied at least a little bit of each subject I had I would dedicate 1 hour to each course. By the time I got to subject 3 I could hardly remember what I had looked over from subject 1 because there was no break in between the 1 hour time frames I was giving myself so all the information started to mesh together. This leads me to the next helpful tip that is taking breaks while studying. I don’t know about anyone else but I know I have sat studying for a final for long periods of time and after awhile I start thinking to myself, “What did I just read?”. I know I read my notes and remembering reading them but it went right into my memory and left just as quickly. It’s easy to become “burned out” while studying for a class. Burned out would mean being worn out or exhausted. It is suggested that when studying we have a shorter study session with breaks in between rather than one long session. This is called the spacing effect. It also suggested that you study then have it followed by sleep and that one can more easily remember the material.

Match learning and testing conditions is when the conditions for when you are studying like the place match as closely as possible compared to the where you will be tested. Personally, I don’t want to spend any more time in a classroom than necessary. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love learning and college but from my experience the classroom settings are often cold, the chairs are uncomfortable, and the desktops are not big enough for me to put lay out my notes and textbook. Goldstein references a 1978 study by Smith et al. where researchers found that if one uses many different locations to study it would prevent what you were learning to only be associated with one place. I have found this helps me recall material since I study at my home, work, and at school. Lastly, one should avoid “illusions of learning”. I found this to be one of the most interesting portions of how to help with studying. We often believe are learning the material when we read then reread it, which results in fluency on the subject. The repetition causes the reading portion of the studying to become easier but it does not necessarily mean we are learning it. There is also what is called the familiarity effect, which happens when we reread the material and become familiar with it and doesn’t necessarily translate into understanding and remembering it.

One of my closest friends, who we will refer to as Brittney, works at a large bank that has branches all throughout the country. She recently applied for a position that would be a promotion for her but the only catch is that she cannot officially accept the position unless she can pass the certification test that is required by law for this position. Her company sent her to several different training programs in Albany, NY and Baltimore, MD and also provided different training materials to help her prepare for the test. She had to study for weeks to prepare and she often used many of these steps to remember what she needed. I am actually surprised on how she completed most of these recommendations like studying in short time frames before going to sleep, taking practice quizzes offered through her employer, she studied in her home office which has desk to sit at, and made connections with the material to her own life which made it easier to remember. From my understanding many people have to take the test multiple times to pass and she passed it on her first try. I chose this topic because I think it relates not only to my own life but also to everyone in the class. We are all in the same boat taking classes to learn more about our field and then we are tested on our knowledge to receive a grade for the course. I, personally, am going to start using these tips to help my studying be more effective. Our long term memory is a complex and interesting process and knowing how to use certain steps to help you to remember can be used in all different aspects in your life.

References:

Goldstein, E. (2011). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research, and everyday experience (3rd ed.). Australia: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.