Applying memory retention techniques
NB: the following is an essay I wrote for an AP Psychology class. I’m publishing it here to get feedback on my terrible writing style.
The primary purpose of attending school is to learn new ideas, concepts, and methodologies. Ideally one should retain everything one learns in the classroom, so that one may do well in the short term, eg. on an exam, as well in the long term, in college and beyond. Unfortunately, there are a number of constraints on a person’s time and energy, such as after school activities and biological necessities. Therefore it is highly desirable if there are means by which we can increase our information retention with a minimal increase in the amount of time or effort spent learning.
An example of such tool is the Spacing Effect. It essentially states that one has a higher level of retention if one spaces periods of study over a longer period of time, contrasted with “cramming” everything in one go. Even if the total amount of time spent studying is the same, one will remember more if said time is spread across a wider period. While it is very easy to procrastinate, it is important to pace oneself and not “leave it all ’till the last minute” before an exam, essay, or other assessment. While one may still pass the assessment, they will probably not exhibit long-term recall, and will have to mostly relearn the material when it comes time for a final exam or standardized test.
Another principle that affects memory is the Serial Positioning Effect. If one is memorizing a list of items, one is more likely to remember the items that are at the beginning or end of the list, compared with those in the middle. To combat this, one should vary one’s routine. If, rather than studying each subject in the same order each night, one instead studies those same subjects in either a random or constantly different order, one can maximize recall of all items. Also, if one had a list of vocabulary words or something similar to remember, one would benefit by varying the sequence in which they review the items.
Often one needs to remember a list of items in order or in relation to one another. For this, one may use the Peg-word System. In this system, one assigns concrete names to numbers, such as “one is a bun”, “two is a shoe”, etc. Through this method one can construct narratives incorporating the peg-word for the item number as well as the item itself. When one needs to remember the list, they simply mentally run through the narrative. While in school remembering a list in order is not as important as simply remembering the contents of the same, this method could be effectively applied there.
Compared with other forms of memory encoding, Semantic encoding provides superior recall. When information has a semantic meaning, when one is able link a bit of information to previously studied concepts and ideas, one better understands the material to be learned. Moreover, one is more likely to remember such information in the future. Therefore, effort should be made to find meaning in what is to be learned, rather than simply memorizing the words and sentences.
Finally, people have excellent recall for information that they are able to relate to their own lives. The self-reference effect, as it’s called, means that one will be more likely to remember something if it is relevant to them, and specifically if it is directly related to them. For example, if one is asked how well an adjective affects others, they will be less likely to recall the question being asked than if they were asked if that same adjective affects themselves. This could be effectively applied in school by attempting to relate or link concepts with past experiences and personal attributes.
January 6th, 2010 at 23:14
After our correspondence about XO laptops I found your site, and figured I’d trade my English major skills for your geek-fu. Yours, Anthony.
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>The primary purpose of attending school ….
You start with a truism (something boringly obvious) which instead of explaining the reason for the essay, only distances the reader. You follow it with three more truisms, all of them expressed in a wordy manner.
A good technique for avoiding wordiness is to go over your early draft and pretend you’ll get a dollar for every word you cut out. For example, in my previous paragraph, I could easily cut “the reason” and “of them.” Also, I could rearrange the first sentence which lets me lose some connective words, and incorporate the only significant word in the second sentence’s dependent clause —
You start with a truism (something boringly obvious) which distances the reader instead of explaining why you wrote this essay. You follow it with three more wordy truisms.
That’s $8! I also added a little impact by making “the reason for” into “why you wrote.” Didn’t make any editing money but it got your attention. Now I will delete “a little” from the first sentence of this paragraph – 99% of the time, conversational softeners like “a little” “a bit” and “some” are unneeded in writing.
>An example of such tool is the Spacing Effect…
Whatever your first paragraph turns out to be, it’s going to make clear that your essay describes various mental phenomena and techniques for compensating for them or exploiting them. You don’t need to specify that each is “An example.” Also, keep your verbs consistent with your nouns. An effect doesn’t “state” – an effect causes. Also, where did these effects come from? They’re clearly terms of art.
You’re getting tied up by your impersonal pronouns. You use “one” and “they” in the same sentence. Part of it has to do with the wordiness – once you hack that away you can feel more comfortable with giving advice to a person or people. I prefer they since there’s no gender assumptions and once you get in the habit, plural verbs can simplify matters, but you can mix them up. Also, remember that your readers are people too – you can drop all pronouns if you’re giving advice. Here’s a new take on your paragraph:
The Spacing Effect was described in the 19th century by Herman Ebbinghaus. He found that people remember more and remember for longer if they study over a greater period of time, even if people spend the same amount of total time studying. For example, a person who studies an hour a night for four nights retains more than a person who studies four hours in one night. Cramming may help with tomorrow’s test, but it won’t help with the final exam two months later.
>Another principle that affects memory is the Serial Positioning Effect….
By now you’re getting my drift. “If one is,” “one is more likely” “one should” — all gone. The third sentence could be “Rather than studying in the same order each night, vary the order from night to night of both the subjects studied and the information studied in each subject.” And you really don’t need the last sentence at all, now that you’ve got an explanation that’s easy for readers to understand and apply to their own lives. (Another example of how plurals simplify – readers can apply to their lives, instead of the reader having to decide if it’s his life or her life.)
>Often one needs to remember a list of items in order or in relation to one another…
Here you can just jump in and explain – it’s a method not an effect. But also make it a meaningful example, something more concrete than numbers, which we all know. “The Peg-Word System helps recall information by assigning items to elements of a simple narrative, such as walking through a house or getting dressed. For example, to remember the signs of the Zodiac in order, assign Aquarius to underclothes, Pisces to socks, Aries to shirt, Taurus to pants, and so on.”
I’ll stop here – hope this helps!
January 6th, 2010 at 23:19
One more thing – taking all this advice may make your essays appallingly shorter than the assigned page count. Unless your professor is a twit, don’t worry about it. My very first college English class, my very first 5-7 page essay only came in at 3.5 pages — and that with wide margins. I was convinced I would flunk out of college. Instead I got an A and the professor commended me on my clarity and brevity when I bumped into him in the quad the following week.