Cog Psych Study Skills

The generation effect

was higher meaning when they were producing them they remembered the information better

HOT - COLD → read

HOT - C____ → generate (remembered better)

Cramming vs. Spacing

One day effect (cramming does a little better)

One Week Effect (spacing out is the best technique)

Study different Spanish words and then tested with one word and having to give definition

Jaffe (2008)

Lag

When the gap between initial learning and test date was a week, the optimum review took place a day after initial learning

With a month gap, the ideal review occurred after about a week

When there is a year gap, the prime review came three weeks after initial learning

Morning vs. Night

Study: list of random words some in the morning others at night

12 hours later

Results sleep is important esp. REM sleep to process memories and consolidation

Repeated Study vs. Testing

cience passages (7 minute periods) T: practice test

4 study periods (SSSS)

Three study periods; one test (SSST)

One Study period; three tests (STTT)

Given a page

1 about the sun and other about sea otters

Each passage had 30 facts

The final test was either later the same day or after 1 week

Results:

Retention interval

Stair Step pattern that SSSS best, next SSST, and then STTT

After a week later

Flip the pattern

STTT, then SSST, and last SSSS

Forgetting over one week

SSSS about 50% of material

SSST less

STTT least

Should be testing yourself

Interleaving > Blocking

E.g. 2 hours to study, 2 subjects (P and B)

How will you split up your time

P P P P B B B B- Blocking (15 min intervals)

P B P B P B P B- Interleaving

Also P P B B P P B B

Task switching has a bad rap if you have you are doing it quickly

Interleaving is much better than blocking

The font size study

Fonts on screen some are tinier or bigger

Bigger in 48 size font and others in 18

Metacognition reports (JOLs (judgement of learning)) for big and little words

Results

Recall a little under 60% of the words

No differences on recall in font size

Top 6 study tips

generation effect, cramming vs. spacing, morning vs. night, repeated study vs. testing, interleaving > blocking