WEEK 2: STUDY SKILLS

Question 1

Is highlighting and re-reading a beneficial study technique?

Answer 1

Depends on the quality of highlighting, but generally no because it may make a student omit information that is not highlighted and does not help to create links between information.

Question 2

What is active and passive highlighting?

Answer 2

Active: Highlighting yourself
Passive: Someone else highlighting and you read

Question 3

What is Fowler and Barker’s 1974 experiment?

Answer 3

It showed the difference of active, passive and regular reading of information and its effects on retaining information.
- 8000 words from magazines and then a MCG test 1 week later

More highlighting = worse performance

Question 4

Is re-reading any effective study strategy?

Answer 4

Re-reading is better than not re reading but beyond that there are no retention benefits. Distributed practice is preferred

Question 5

Is re-reading or distributive study better?

Answer 5

Distributive with 10-20% retention intervals (Cepeda et al 2008)

Question 6

What is the spreading activation model?

Answer 6

Collins and Loftus 1975:

A memory or information has multiple connections

Question 7

The more _________, the more likely the answer will be retrieved from memory.

Answer 7

Retrieval cues/links

Question 8

What sort of practice helped broaden retrieval cues?

Answer 8

Distributive (Benjamin and Tullis, 2010) because it consolidates information by retrieving answer over a period of time which creates links to help remember.

Question 9

What is practice testing?

Answer 9

Practice retrieving the information, closed book

Question 10

Is practice testing effective?

Answer 10

Yes, because you are practicing in similar conditions to the test and therefore are learning problem solving instantaneously better than just reciting the information in mass.
- Transfer of learning (Butler 2010)

Question 11

What is some evidence for practice testing?

Answer 11

Spitzer (1939) tested 3605 grade 6 students on their performance after practice testing and no practice testing. The children who partook in practice tests were more successful than those who did not.

Question 12

What did Karpicke and Blunt 2011 test?

Answer 12

Practice testing vs Concept mapping

Retrieval practice was the most effective

Question 13

Practice testing works, even when _______ is ________.

Answer 13

Retrieval is unsuccessful (Hays et al 2013)

Question 14

What technique can you combine with practice testing for improved results?

Answer 14

Distributed practice

Question 15

Why are study skills not taught?

Answer 15

• Emphasis on content (McNamara, 2010) p. 341
• Not up-to-date in textbooks
• Increased self-regulation expected
• Need for educational/ cognitive psychologists

Question 16

Compared to simply reading the material you are trying to learn, using highlighting as a study technique typically leads to:

a) The same memory overall in tests
b) Worse memory overall
c) Much better memory
d) Slightly better

Answer 16

z

Question 17

Of the following techniques, which is the most effective way to learn?

a) Concept- mapping
b) Closed-book practice testing
c) Open-book practice testing
d) reading and re-reading the stud material immediately

Answer 17

z

Question 18

Practice testing is typically effective…

a) But not for high-performing students
b) only if test is not for marks
c) For all students
d) Only if the practice test is for marks

Answer 18

z

Question 19

Students may not be aware of good study techniques because…..

a) More emphasis on teaching what they need to know rather than how to learn it
b) lack of agreement with researchers on what techniques work.
c) Textbooks include ineffective study techniques
d) Teachers encourage ineffective ways of study

Answer 19

z

Question 20

What is concept mapping?

Answer 20

A study technique used by spreading ideas out onto a chart/map.

Question 21

Is concept mapping or practice testing more effective when studying? Who discovered this?

Answer 21

Practice testing (Karpicke & Blunt, 2011)

Question 22

Why does practice testing effective?

Answer 22

Generating your own cues with the target information