Jen Coane, PhD Psychology

Metacognition  Knowing what you know  Good metacognition is important for academic success  “Do I know this?”  What happens when errors in judgment occur? Yes! No! OK, I’m done studying now! Time to keep studying!

Which is best? Make your own mnemonic  Imagine you have to learn all the cranial nerves. You make your own mnemonic. Use a mnemonic provided  Imagine you have to learn all the cranial nerves. Your instructor provides you with a “classic” mnemonic used by students before you. Bloom & Lamkin, 2006 Generation (making your own) is better. Generation is more difficult and requires more attention.

Which is best? Chunking  Imagine you have to learn to recognize different painters’ styles for art history. Group all the works by one artist together.

Manet Monet Pissarro

Which is best? Chunking  Imagine you have to learn to recognize different painters’ styles for art history. Group all the works by one artist together. Interleaving  Imagine you have to learn to recognize different painters’ styles for art history. Mix the paintings by different artists in random order.

Manet Monet Pissarro Manet Monet Pissarro Interleaving is better! (Kornell & Bjork, 2008)

Which is best? Cramming before an exam  Study the material intensely right before an exam Spacing your study sessions  Start studying long before the exam for an hour or so a day SPACING is better – even when total study time is the same! Vlach et al., 2008

Which is best? Repeated Study  After reading a text, re-read (re- study) it again Taking a test  After reading a text, take a test immediately (instead of re- studying) Roediger & Karpicke, 2006 Taking a test is better! When you take a test, you are practicing the same skills you will be using on a “real” test.

Testing vs. Re-studying Indirect effects of testing  Study regularly  Learn from feedback  Self-assessment – improved metacognition  If you don’t understand it, you won’t remember it – testing is a great way to make sure you understand. Direct effects of testing  Taking a test changes how you learn  Intermediate tests make it easier to learn new information  Testing is harder – difficulty results in better memory  Up to 400% improvement!

Desirable Difficulties  Testing is harder than re-reading  “Desirable difficulties” help learning because they provide challenges that result in stronger memory (Bjork, 1994)

Applied Tips!  Test yourself  Practice questions in books  Ask your professors for old exams  Write questions with a study group  3R: Read, Recite, Review (McDaniel et al., 2009)

Applied Tips!  Using flashcards  Use them to test yourself – and go both ways  Make “big” stacks so you are SPACING and INTERLEAVING  Do not take cards out when you think you know it – continue testing yourself

Scheduling your Study Time  Spacing can reduce “feeling of knowing” – thus leading to more study  Research shows that students tend to over-estimate how well they know material and stop studying too soon (Kornell & Bjork, 2007)  Remember… You will not learn 12 weeks of information in one week!

Questions?  I am happy to meet with you to discuss study strategies   Roberts 336