Transcript Document 7138870

How to Improve Study Habits and
Get Better Grades
&
Exam-Taking Tips
&
Example Questions
Motivation & Organization
► MOTIVATION
► ORGANIZATION
► Focus
► buy
on the Goals
► Study Groups
► Self-Rewards
► Creating Routines
 EXCEPT--no reading
the text in bed!!
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

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
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
► Keep
all components of the question.
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)
Complete Personal Information
Fill in circles completely
Fill in special code
3333
Completely erase changes
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
Jane Student
399999999
Bob the TA