By: Annabel Patch Recess the favorite class of many children, may be one of the most important classes a child participates in. While it may seem as though recess is taking away from time kids could be learning, studies done by Wendy Suzuki and other neuroscientists and teachers prove otherwise. Wendy Suzuki a neuroscientist studying memory has discovered the impact of exercise on learning in people of all ages but specifically children. Suzuki started working out after going through a slump in her everyday life. She wasn’t feeling her best socially and emotionally and decided to start going to the gym as a way to feel stronger. After going to the gym regularly for about a year and a half she started to see the benefit of exercise in her own work. She discovered that since she started exercising the quality of her work had improved.
After seeing this improvement Suzuki decided to investigate the effects of exercise on the brain. She learned that exercise is mood boosting and helps with your cognitive functions, or your ability to process things. The brain is a muscle and like all muscles, it can be strengthened. Suzuki learned that exercise, in particular, is great for strengthening your hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Your prefrontal cortex is in charge of executive functions, such as the control of your behavior. The hippocampus is in charge of memory and some key parts of learning. Both of these structures in our brains are important to learning. By strengthening these we are able to learning is able to improve. By exercising you are enhancing your creative thinking, decision making, focus, and retrieving memories. Suzuki found that after exercising students are able to focus on a task for up to 2 hours. Along with improving your learning, Suzuki found that exercise is able to improve your quality of life in general. Exercise encourages the growth of new neurons in a process called neurogenesis. This can help with learning. Also, exercise produces hormones like serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, and endorphins. These hormones boost your mood and also reduce stress. This can greatly improve your quality of life. Because of the benefits of exercise, recess is very important to the well being of children. It not only helps them learn and grow, but it can also improve their quality of life. Recess gives kids the chance to run around and hang out with friends. Suzuki found that this exercise, even for only a short amount of time can make a big difference in the lives of children. By studying the children's ability to focus before and after exercise she was able to conclude that exercise like recess is beneficial in kids lives. Although kids may not be using that time to learn new skills such as multiplication and grammar the time is crucial for children's memory recall and attention span. Being able to remember and recall information learned in class is much more beneficial to the children's’ education than learning information is forgetting it because the child is not focused. How Movement and Exercise Help Kids Learn. (2019, May 22). Retrieved from https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/53681/how-movement-and-exercise-help-kids-learn
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By Kira Ruffner
Have you ever noticed that your memory seems to deteriorate after a week full of multitasking? Have you ever wondered if multitasking is harming your work or your concentration? These questions are all addressed by Stanford professor Anthony Wagner in a study he did with his colleague Clifford Nass, on the effects of media multitasking and attention. He was not convinced by early data, and he told Nass said to do more tests. Eleven years later he co-authored the paper with neuroscientist Melina Uncapher of the University of California, San Francisco, in which he noticed a trend: People who frequently use many types of media at once aka “heavy media multitaskers” performed significantly worse on simple memory tasks. He addressed the contents of his study in a Q&A style format with Stanford News. Wagner answered a question asking him about how he got interested in this topic. He said that his colleagues Cliff Nass and Eyal Ophir had the question: “With the explosion of media technologies that has resulted in there being multiple simultaneous channels available that we can switch between, how might this relate to human cognition?” They came to him with their early findings, and he thought they were crazy, but a few years later he realized there was a connection to media and memory. When asked to define heavy multitaskers vs light multitaskers, Wagner has said that people don’t multitask, we task switch because the word “multitasking” implies that people can do two or more things at once. This is not true, and in reality brains only allow people to do one thing at a time and they have to switch back and forth. Wagner gave an example of what a heavy media multitaskers may look like: he said they may have many media channels open at once and they switch between them. They might be writing an essay, then check a football game, then respond to texts and messages, and then try to get back to work, but they get an email and have to answer it. In comparison, he said that a light media multitasker would only be writing the academic paper or may only switch between a couple of media, and they might turn on Do Not Disturb so they only get really urgent messages, and might put away their phone. Wagner and Ness assessed the different forms of memory in different ways. To assess the working memory they used simple short-delay memory tasks. For example, in one test they showed a set of oriented blue rectangles, then took them from the screen and asked the subject to remember it. Then they showed them another set of rectangles and asked if any had changed orientation. To measure memory capacity they did the same test with different numbers of rectangles and determined how performance changed with increasing memory loads. Finally, to measure the ability to filter out distraction sometimes they added distractors like red rectangles that the subjects were told to ignore. Wagner and Ness noticed a few trends in their data. In about 50% of the studys they saw the heavy media multitaskers were significantly underperforming on tasks with working memory and sustained attention, while the other half have no significant difference. Wagner has stated that it is clear there is a negative relationship between media multitasking and memory performance and that high media multitasking is associated with poor performance on memory tests and tasks. While testing subjects, Wagner and Ness noticed something: they hypothesised that potentially reduced working memory occurs in heavy media multitaskers because they have a higher probability of experiencing lapses of attention, and that maybe when demands are low, they underperform but when the demands are high, like when the working memory tasks are harder, there’s no difference between the heavy and light media multitaskers This prompted Wagner and Ness to look at variation between subjects and moment-to-moment changes in a person’s ability to use goals to sustain their memory. Wagner has said that he can't say for sure that multitasking changes memory or attention, as it’s too early to definitively determine cause and effect, but that multitasking isn’t efficient, and people know there are costs of task switching. He also had a piece of advice: “If you’re multitasking while doing something significant, like an academic paper or work project, you’ll be slower to complete it and you might be less successful.” Link to article:: https://news.stanford.edu/2018/10/25/decade-data-reveals-heavy-multitaskers-reduced-memory-psychologist-says/ APA citation: Bates, S. (2018, October 25). Heavy multitaskers have reduced memory. Retrieved May 23, 2019, from https://news.stanford.edu/2018/10/25/decade-data-reveals-heavy-multitaskers-reduced-memory-psychologist-says/ Link to photo: https://businessesgrow.com/2014/07/30/buzzfeed-quizzes-marketing-research/ By Caeden Rogers Have you ever felt stressed out of your mind? Too busy to handle the world? Maybe you should just do nothing. Psychologist have found that occasionally doing nothing can help you in the long run. Wondering why? Just keep reading! Now, many may think that by saying you are busy, you are saying that you are more important. When in reality, being busy isn't a status indicator. You could be just as busy as Tom Cruise but be a high school student. In order to feel less stressed or busy, all you need to do is practice what the dutch call, niksen, otherwise known as nothing. Psychologist Doreen Dodgen-Magee studies boredom. She compares a human to a car saying that to practice nothing is like having the car's engine running but not going anywhere. Sandi Mann is a psychologist at the University of Central Lancashire in Britain. She believes that gazing out a window or sitting still is considered niksen. Anything that takes up some time and energy in beneficial whether it be niksen or not. Some may call this being lazy but they are just uninformed. Those uninformed probably participate in niksen throughout their day. Just going on a walk or daydreaming can help with your creativity and problem solving. Psychologist say that when practicing niksen, it may be awkward and uncomfortable the first couple of times you try it. Take into account where you are, what your surroundings might be. Is it quiet? Is it busy? Try to limit the outside factors impeding on your nothingness and just be. As a high school student, I am put under a lot of stress everyday when given assignments and difficult tasks to complete. There is no time in my day to simply do nothing. After reading this article, I realize how important it is for my mental, physical, and emotional health to do nothing, even if it is just five minutes out of my day. I already take walks during classes when I can not focus or am bored. Sometimes just a short walk can boost my mood and help my concentration. If taking a walk could help me get better grades then I will gladly go on a walk. Not only do I go on walks sometimes, I think that daydreaming has also been beneficial to my learning and concentration. There are only a few studies surrounding niksen or doing nothing. From the ones there are, you can take away that niksen is a healthy practice. It is beneficial in all aspects of your day to day life. In short, take a five or ten minute break out of your day to go on a walk or day dream or just do nothing. You will thank yourself for it later. I am not saying skip class to go be mindful; maybe spend your lunch break daydreaming, walking in the halls or in the courtyard. Spend some time to care for yourself by practicing niksen this year. Maybe even host a boredom party! Links and Citations:
Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/29/smarter-living/the-case-for-doing-nothing.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FPsychology%20and%20Psychologists&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=collection Images: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/contemporary-psychoanalysis-in-action/201311/how-achieve-your-goals-doing-nothing https://fullrangecrossfit.com/doing-nothing/#.XO3ogNNKjMI Article Citation: Mecking, O. (2019, April 30). The Case for Doing Nothing. Retrieved May 22, 2019, from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/29/smarter-living/the-case-for-doing-nothing.html?rref=collection/timestopic/Psychology and Psychologists&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=collection Michael McNeil I remember a couple of days ago when my family and I went to the beach to celebrate Mother's Day by watching the sunset. We brought blankets and laid down on the sand, watching the sky. The brilliant red sunlight cascaded down onto the sparkling waves and slick shore. Wanting to keep the moment forever, I pulled out my phone to take a quick picture. "You don't always have to be on your phone." My dad was quick to lash out. I protested, saying that I was just going to take a picture of the sunset. "You'll remember it better if you stay in the moment." My mom advised. Well, I ended up taking that photo. And I can remember the glorious sunset vividly because I took that photo, according to a recent issue of Psychological Science. The common misconception is that taking a picture takes you out of the moment so you won't remember it as well, which this study proved false. In the study, Dr. Alixandra Barasch had people go through a museum exhibit while listening to an audio guide. These people were allowed to take photos if they wished, or leave their camera or phone behind. After going through the exhibit, they were given a memory test of both the visual art and the information from the audio guide. The people who took photos freely were found to remember more of the visual components of the art, when compared to people who did not take photos. Dr. Barasch offers an interesting hypothesis: while looking for something to take a picture of, you actually encode the visual information more accurately into your long-term memory. However, the photo-takers didn't remember as much of the auditory information they were given, which is due to the fact that taking photos pulls attention from your other senses, like hearing. "the process of looking around for what to photograph actually causes you to encode visual content and remember it" However, the photo-takers did not remember as much of the auditory information they were given, which is due to the fact that taking photos pulls attention from your other senses, like hearing.
There is one thing to be cautious of. If you are taking a picture with the sole purpose of impressing people on Instagram or Snapchat, you are actually less likely to remember key visual details because you are filled with the anxiety of trying to get a great picture for likes and comments, instead of trying to remember the moment. Be sure to take pictures for your own satisfaction, not for other people's. This is a significant discovery for all those out there with parents like mine. Next time you're at a game, concert, or just hanging out watching a sunset, take a photo for yourself so that you remember it better. And if someone tries to tell you to that "you're losing the moment" for taking a picture– well, know you know that you'll remember it for longer than they do. APA Citation: Yin, S. (2017, August 18). Taking Photos Won't Take You Out of the Moment, Study Suggests. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/18/science/living-in-the-moment-taking-photos.html?rref=collection/timestopic/Psychology and Psychologists&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=search&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=collection Sunset Photo- https://www.flickr.com/photos/brucenmurray/31132018154 Camera Photo- http://clipartmag.com/camera-flash-clipart Original Article- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/18/science/living-in-the-moment-taking-photos.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FPsychology%20and%20Psychologists&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=search&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=collection Tiffany Calder Subconsciously recalling unwanted memories of tragic events or embarrassing moments is one of the downfalls of having an extremely active mind, but, neuroscientists have discovered a lead to a way that we can deliberately reduce the frequency and severity for random recallings of unwanted memories. In our everyday lives, our mind goes through the process of recalling memories numerous times. Recalling memory happens when your brain activates a biochemical process that solidifies and reorganizes memory that has been stored from past times. Often times this recalling leads us into trouble. For example, perhaps you’ve been in a terrible car accident and everytime you see the location of that accident or a car that looks like the one you collided with, your mind replays the event over and over in your head. Sometimes, we find ourselves just not wanting to remember certain things like that so we don’t have to relive the pain forever. Recently, Tracy Wang, a postdoctoral psychology fellow at the University of Texas led a study that began to explore the possibility of training our mind to intentionally forget certain memories. To test the likelihood of being able to do so, 24 people of a random selection were put to the test. They were placed in a brain-imaging machine and shown 200 images of faces and scenes and were asked to identify them as male vs. female and outside vs. inside for a short period of time before they were then asked to either remember or forget the image before them. After all the images had been shown they were given a test with both images that were shown before and some that weren’t and asked to rate how confident they were at having seen them. To get data, they looked at the brain-imaging machines photos and focused on the ventral temporal cortex and sensory cortex, both of which become very active when a person focuses their attention on simple images like the ones shown. Ultimately, the subjects recalled 50-60% of the images they saw and were asked to remember and successfully forgot 40% of the images they were asked to forget. The brain scans showed that when the subject’s mind was particularly active or inactive, it corresponded with a failed attempt to forget an image telling us that a medium level of attention on a certain thought is ideal for deliberately forgetting unwanted memories, not too little or too much. It is important to note that the study was not entirely conclusive enough to say that it is possible to regularly be able to intentionally forget but that as Lili Sahakyan, a professor of psychology at University of Illinois, says: “memories have to be strengthened before they can be weakened,” but that it is possible to dim memories by substitution, a process used by many therapists that works by linking unwanted memories to other thoughts in order to avoid the random recallings and flashbacks that often lead to cases of PTSD. This study provides the conclusion that “to intentionally forget is to remember differently, on purpose,” and suggests a possibility that deliberately forgetting memories is an activity that we could potentially train our minds to do after more research has been done. Images: https://www.acsh.org/news/2019/01/10/funny-thing-about-memory-gift-forgetting-13720 Article: Carey, B. (2019, March 22). Can We Get Better at Forgetting? Retrieved May 20, 2019, from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/22/health/memory-forgetting-psychology.html?rref=collection/timestopic/PsychologandPsychologists&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=29&pgtype=collection&login=email&auth=login-email Parker Rollins What if you could intentionally forget an awful memory? In other words, erase traumatic events from your memory? This question has been debated and has been divided into its pros and cons. Events from our past can affect how we live our futures and if we could somehow harness the power to erase bad memories, we could live without the stress of the past. But, erasing memories can be a potential negative as bad memories can act as red flags for us to use when making critical decisions. Without these memories, we would have no knowledge of potential dangers. Also, losing memories is critical for our memory production and retrieval and is key to our identity. Manipulating this sequence could have negative effects that we do not understand. Recent scientific research has opened the possibility to which we could change society and the health of everyone. In a recent study in the New York Times, scientists have been studying whether or not we can forget events that have a negative effect on our lives. Since our emotions to sensory details are crucial to our memory production, the new study focused on this concept. Tracy Wang, a postdoctoral psychology fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, led the experiment where 24 participants sat in a brain-imaging machine while the memory test was being conducted. The participants were shown 200 images of faces and scenes and told to identify the faces and male or female and the scenes as indoor or outdoor. After each image, they were told to either remember or forget the image. After a short break, the participants were shown the images and asked if they confidently remembered the image. The results: the participants remembered approximately 50 to 60% of the images which means they successfully forgot 40% of the images. The brain-imaging showed that when a participant concentrated on forgetting or when a participant mentally ignored the image, it did not contribute to a successful attempt at forgetting. Rather, those individuals that did not focus too much on forgetting actually successfully forgot an image. The study supports the possibility of controllable forgetting which is opening the door for new methods of forgetting. Intentional ignoring is a common method of suppression of bad memories. It is also shown that linking bad memories to underlying positives of the memory can help manipulate the memory into a positive one helping forget the bad event. I found this particularly relatable as I have had many humiliating experiences in my life and rather than focusing on the shame and regret I feel, I have manipulated these memories to focus on the support my friends gave me and the lessons I learned so I am less affected by the bad event than I could have been. I think the idea that we could consciously forget bad memories can be a groundbreaking scientific discovery as it can be a vital treatment for patients suffering from depression, stress, and neglect. We could treat victims with childhood neglect and trauma into living normal lives without the pain and suffering they can endure. Think about it, you can intentionally forget your worst memories and live a healthier lifestyle just by changing your memory! Bibliography Used:
Carey, B. (2019, March 22). Can We Get Better at Forgetting? Retrieved May 21, 2019, from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/22/health/memory-forgetting-psychology.html?rref=collection/timestopic/Psychology and Psychologists&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=29&pgtype=collection Photo: https://www.foundrymag.com/opinion/avoiding-forgetting-curve By Samantha Bailey Have you ever had a dream that made you second-guess a decision or make you think about something in a new way? As we get older we are told that dreams don’t matter. But, that is not true. What you dream about helps you when you are awake. In the 1960s in Brooklyn psychologist Fredrick Snyder analyzed 600 dream reports about how strange and bizarre situations in dreams are. He found that 38 percent were real places that the dreamer recognized, 43 percent were places that resembled familiar places that the dreamer knew, five percent were considered exotic places, and less than one percent was considered a fantastic situation. Dr. Snyder recorded each dream on various measures of coherence. The overall result was that nine out of ten dreams could be considered descriptions of everyday experiences. Another study conducted by Dr. Revonsou and Dr. Salmivalli involved the emotions surrounding dreams. After analyzing dreams from a group of students they found that the emotions experienced in dreams were appropriate to the situation, no matter how odd the situation seemed. In 2014, neurologist Isabelle Arnulf decided to conduct an experiment relating dreams to test grades. She reached out to a group of doctors on the day they were scheduled to take their medical school entrance exams. Around 539 students out of the 719 students said they had a dream about the exam prior to taking the test. The dreams were not just dreams but nightmares that consisted of losing their way to the test center, finding it impossible to figure out test questions, realizing that the test questions were written in invisible ink, being late for the test, or not having enough time to complete the exam. Dr. Arnulf compared the dreaming patterns of the students to the grades that they received on the entrance exam. She found that students who dreamed more about the exam tested better than those who did not. Some people believe that dreams are an accident of biology and do not mean anything at all. This has been proven against by many doctors and scientist from many years. The most recurring and popular hypothesis about dreams is that they let people work through anxiety in a low-risk environment, which is proven in the experiment conducted by Dr. Isabelle Arnulf. Another recurring aspect of dreams involves emotions. The most common emotions experienced if fear, helplessness, anxiety, and guilt. These emotions prove the popular hypothesis above and they relate to the study conducted by Dr. Revonsou and Dr. Salmivalli. I have always found dreams to be very interesting. I do not record my dreams but it has been found that the more you write down your dreams there are an increasing amount of details. Usually I do not think about a dream a have, maybe recount it’s unusual characteristics to a friend or remembers it when I wake up, but other than that I move the dream to the back of my head. A while ago I was in the midst of making a decision and I had a dream about the decision I had to make. The answer was not clear cut or written out to me, I had to think about what the events in my dream meant. Like I said before, I would usually brush the dream off but the bizarre events made me think twice. Ever since then I have been thinking about my dreams more and about what they mean, I have also been wanting to write them down, once I find the time! Our dreams help us solidify new memories and cut irrelevant information about who we are! To view the full article click here
References (in APA). Robb, A. (2018, November 10). Why Do You Keep Dreaming You Forgot Your Pants? It's Science. Retrieved May 22, 2019, from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/10/opinion/sunday/dreams-meaning-science.html?rref=collection/timestopic/Psychology and Psychologists&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=search&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=collection Images: Dream image By Lee Federle Everyone knows that it’s nice to get compliments. What’s less known is that research has proven that positive feedback decreases stress, encourages better habits, and can help you accomplish more. In fact, compliments are so beneficial that a lot of companies use praise to boost revenue. This helps keep their employees motivated and happy and encourages them to continue putting in their best effort. Receiving compliments can even help your brain remember and repeat new skills.
Even though compliments are good for us, a lot of us struggle to accept them. We don’t want to come off as arrogant, so most people tend to brush them off. This may not seem like a big deal, but when you try to debunk the compliments you receive by disagreeing with them or undermining them, you are reinforcing the part of your brain that focuses on your mistakes (fun fact: our brains naturally focus on our failures because in the past the humans who worried more were more likely to survive). Instead, you should accept the compliment and try your best to believe it— this can be as easy as saying ‘thank you’ or asking a follow-up question— as this will result in all the positive benefits for your brain that I wrote about above. So now we know that receiving compliments from others is valuable, but what about giving yourself compliments? It may sound weird, but acknowledging your own achievements can actually be even better for your brain than receiving praise from someone else. Studies have shown that small setbacks have negative impacts three to four times higher than the positive impacts of small accomplishments. This means that it is crucial to highlight our accomplishments as much as possible, as our brains clearly need all the encouragement they can get. It’s also important to understand that ‘accomplishments’ don’t need to be big. Whether it’s about school, work, or personal life, congratulating yourself on getting small things done is a great way to keep yourself motivated and continuing to achieve. Another way to reinforce the positive side of your brain is to keep a daily list of your accomplishments. Again, you’re probably not accomplishing huge feats every day— your daily list will most likely include things like finally cleaning your room or emailing that teacher that you’ve been meaning to talk to. No matter how small the achievement, giving yourself credit for these things doesn’t just help your mood and productivity, but also can come in handy in situations where we’re asked to list accomplishments, like job interviews or college applications (again, our brains focus on our mistakes and tend to forget our accomplishments, so writing them down is a good idea). Lists are also beneficial because you can look for patterns in them to figure out where to put your time and energy. Finally, it’s a good idea to get comfortable talking about our accomplishments with other people without feeling cocky or boastful. This could mean taking time once and a while to talk to a friend, parent or teacher about something you recently accomplished. Being able to confidently talk about successes is a good skill to have when it comes to things like job interviews, where you are often asked to discuss your achievements. Talking about successes as well as failures can also make you better at receiving constructive criticism. In conclusion, accepting compliments, whether they’re from peers, family, teachers, or even ourselves, is something we could all work on. It improves mood, motivation, and productivity, and helps us know that we’re on the right track with what we’re doing. Now that you know how valuable receiving compliments is, hopefully you’ll consider giving more compliments in the future too— you never know when someone might need that extra boost! Higgs, M. M. (2018, December 04). How to Accept a Compliment - Even if It's From Yourself. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/04/smarter-living/how-to-accept-a-compliment.html?rref=collection/timestopic/Psychology and Psychologists&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.teamworkandleadership.com/2017/07/the-power-of-compliments-4-tips-for-leaders-and-teammates-great-video.html By: Bella Solari Have you ever stayed up for hours cramming the night before a big test? Chances are the answer to that question is yes. Naturally, we assume that the best way to ensure a good grade on an upcoming test is to excessively study the material, especially the night before the test. This often means that we sacrifice precious and valuable hours of sleep in order to study. It seems as though we've all been there— desperately wanting to go to sleep, but ruling it out as option due to the copious amount of studying you need to do. Well, turns out going to bed after a solid study session is an option— and probably the best one.
In a recent study at the University of Lübeck in Germany, researchers confirmed that sleep improves the consolidation of memory for recently encoded information. In the study, 24 volunteers were asked to memorize the locations of 15 pairs of cards with pictures of everyday items and animals. They were allotted studying time, during which an unpleasant odor was presented. This odor was transmitted to act as an associational cue, meaning that it would hopefully trigger the volunteers' memories when presented prior to the test on the material. The volunteers were asked to learn a slightly different set of cards forty minutes later, with the purpose of the second session to act as a disruptor of the original learning. The subjects were given a break in between the two memorization sessions. During this break, half of the volunteer group took a nap while the other half stayed awake. During the last 20 minutes of of the break, both the napping group and the group that remained awake were again exposed to the unpleasant odor. After both memorization sessions occurred, the subjects were presented with a test on the two card sets. The research team reported that the group that slept had an average accuracy rate of 85% on the test, while the group that remained awake had a 60% accuracy rate on the test. The odor cue did help to reactivate memory in wakefulness and sleep, but the combination of the odor cue assisting in memory association and the memorization processes that occur during sleep ultimately made the group that napped more successful in remembering the locations of the cards. Temporary memories, such as the first set of cards, have a chance of being destroyed by new mental activity, such as the second set of cards, when recalled. However, memorization processes that occur during sleep made the original memorized set more resistant to interference and disruption. Thus, making the group that slept more successful in their testing. When the second interfering task occurred (when the second set of cards were presented), most of the original learning from the first set of cards was already encoded in the brain during the nap. In addition, brain imaging was performed by researchers that showed that the group that slept had basically completed a shift in brain activity from the hippocampus, which is the temporary processing area, to storage area in the cortex. This study gives us insight into the effect that sleep has on memory, and illustrates how sleep is a significant way to encode memories. Personally, I often find myself staying up all night prior to a big test to try to memorize all of the material. I usually end up only sleeping a couple of hours. This study has demonstrated how detrimental sleep is to brain functions, and the positive impact it can have on encoding memories. After reading about the benefits of choosing to go to sleep after a study session, as opposed to continuously studying for hours on end, I definitely feel more inclined to study for an hour or two the night before a big test and then get a good night's sleep. Sleep is essential for proper brain function, and plays a large role in encoding memories. Although many students think that continuous studying the night prior is the best way to acquire the knowledge on an upcoming test, the next time you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with testing material, I urge you to think of this study and the benefits of having a solid, terse study session and then putting the pencil down and going to bed. Links: Pictures- https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/10/18/236211811/brains-sweep-themselves-clean-of-toxins-during-sleep http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/2017/01/when-youre-drowsy-is-your-brain-partly-asleep-2/ Article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/memory-medic/201103/how-sleep-helps-memory Citation: How Sleep Helps Memory. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/memory-medic/201103/how-sleep-helps-memory By: John D'Appolonia Do you know what study habits are? Study habits are the habits kids form through all the years of schooling. These habits carry on into life and work after college or high school. This is why it is crucial for people to form good study habits early in life. But there is a challenge to finding good study habits for yourself. This is because the best way for you to study may not be the best way for other people. A study was conducted on 1050 senior secondary school students. The students answered questions about how they study and what their grades were like through a questionnaire, and it was found that there is a clear correlation between how you are studying and the grades you will get. Psychologists and researchers from all around the world agree that how you study and what you study will affect the result. For instance, Hussain (2000) says that the lack of good work or study habits is clear at all ages and in all generations. But, to fix it use a combination of attitude, methods, and skills. According to Harper and Row (2009), the best study habits include studying every day, creating a useful environment for yourself, turning off devices that are not necessary, listening to soft music (If helpful to you), taking breaks, and of course not waiting until the last minute. I really enjoyed reading about this study because it has taught me a lot about being a better student and about how poorly some of my habits are. Parents and Teachers always say put your electronics away when your studying and I never do, but after reading this article with hard facts and evidence it has taught me that some of the things I do are in fact hurting me not helping me. The article talks about the uniqueness of all of us and how no one can set a strict studying method because everyone learns and remember things differently. John (2010) acknowledges that not all students are alike and that I why study habits are different. But he did find that there are basic guidelines for studying that work with all students. One, finding a good location or environment. This means an environment that will not distract you or make you to bored. But, it also means a location that somewhat represents the environment you will be taking the test or presenting the project in. Two, you need a schedule. This means you study at the same time, in the same place, and over the same material. After reading this article I actually used some of these techniques and saw an improvement in my grades even in the short amount of time. I now have a consistent study time and method and a place I go most of the time. I no longer have my phone near me when I am studying but instead, I shut it off and put it away. This allows me to become detached from social media and really pay attention and absorb what I am studying. Citation:
F., Ebele Uju, and Olofu Paul A. “Study Habit and Its Impact on Secondary School Students’ Academic Performance in Biology in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.” Academic Journal , 30 Mar. 2017, files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1143649.pdf. Links: Full Article - https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1143649.pdf Image - https://broadviewuniversity.edu/student-life/studying-and-diminishing-returns/ |
Ms. Carrigan's Psych ClassWe have been reading articles about psychological studies to inform the way we live our lives. Please explore, and we hope you learn a bit about the psychology in your life! Categories
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