How to Improve Study Habits and Get Better Grades & Exam-Taking Tips & Example Questions

Motivation & Organization ► ► MOTIVATION ► ► Focus on the Goals ► ► Study Groups ► ► Self-Rewards ► ► Creating Routines   EXCEPT--no reading the text in bed!! ► ORGANIZATION ► buy the books ► prepare a timetable-- work, sleep, & play ► set a specific time for studying each course ► benefits of distributed practice versus massed practice ► physical activity as part of routine

In Class ► ► 80% of success in life is “showing up” ► ► Confused???   Ask - 10 other people will thank you ► ► Asking Questions ► ► Taking Notes   record concepts and key terms ► ► not verbatim notes--LISTEN to Learn

Before/After Class ► ► Read the text--systematically & actively   including the headings, tables, focus issues ► ► Take notes--avoid the highlighter ► ► Review your lecture notes ► ► Check for the overlap between text notes and lecture notes--hint, hint, hint ► ► Read the text--again.

Memory Tips ► ► Encoding   understand first, then easier to remember   Focus - reduce distractions   ask questions (either your own, or from Study Guide)   use mnemonic devices   chunking   use different encoding techniques ► ► self-referencing

Aids for Improving Retrieval ► ► Number your points ► ► Visualize the material ► ► Use other information to jog retrieval ► ► Free-associate ► ► Link to the things you do know ► ► State-Dependent Learning

Exam-Taking Tips (In part based on: Pfeifer & Ogloff, 1991) ► ► Study/Come with the tools needed. ► ► Have a strategy.   look at the weight of the different sections-- apportion time appropriately.   read any essay questions early, the rest of the test might have retrieval cues.   skip questions when you are unsure of the answer, later questions might have retrieval cues.

Test-Taking Strategies Multiple-Choice Questions ► try to answer question without looking at the alternatives  but, be sure to read all alternatives ► contrary to popular belief, research suggests that changing answers to ‘mc’ questions more often results in a change from incorrect to correct

Test-Taking Strategies Multiple-Choice Questions ► remember, you are trying to select the best possible answer ► look for alternatives that are clearly incorrect – discard (cross out) ► relatedly, if a question has an alternative like “all of the above” and at least one alternative is wrong, eliminate that answer

Example Multiple-Choice Questions Dr. Smith is a psychologist who is interested in studying aggression in sports. For her research, she attends high school basketball games and records the number of aggressive acts which she observes. Dr. Smith's research is best viewed as meeting the ____ goal of psychology? (a) understanding (b) description (c) prediction (d) control Ans: Description

Example Multiple-Choice Questions To study the population of superheroes, Superman chooses to study Batman, Robin, Aquaman, and Spiderman. Thus, Batman, Robin, Aquaman, and Spiderman make up Superman's ____ in this case. (a) sample (b) random sample (c) representative sample (d) population Ans: Sample

Recall Questions - Essays ► ► Use an OUTLINE to organize your thoughts. ► ► Answer the question being asked.   (Read the question carefully, answer all aspects/parts of the question.) ► ► Do not provide information not requested.   (Do not waste time and space repeating the question or “padding.”) ► ► Resist the temptation to “guess.”   (Including your confusing material will likely confuse your “marker!”) ► Complete all components of the question. ► ► Keep track of time.

Essay-Style Question - Marking ► ► Correct Content--All relevant points. ► ► Correct use of terms and concepts. ► ► Relevant examples. ► ► Integration with related content. ► ► Clear and concise writing--grammatical!

Essay-Style Question A ► ► Design a simple experiment to investigate the effects of television violence on children’s aggressive behavior, being sure to identify the independent and dependent variables, and the experimental and control groups.

Essay-Style Question B ► What are the relative weaknesses and strengths of non-experimental/ correlational research methods as opposed to experimental research methods? Under what conditions would a psychologist choose one method as opposed to the other?

Exam-taking Tips ► ► Have a plan   check that you have all the pages   put your name on everything!   read all instructions--CAREFULLY ► ► Plan your time   (allocate by value of questions).

Multiple Choice Answer Sheets (need to use a pencil) Fill in circles completely Complete Personal Information Fill in special code Completely erase changes 3 3

Short-Answer Essay ► Use Outline  (if you have time) ► Limit essay to space provided ► Circle the question you’ve chosen to answer ► Write your name, ID # and your TA’s name on the top of the essay page Bob the TA Jane Student