• Misery loves company• Opposites attract• Absence makes the heart grow fonder• Familiarity breeds contempt• You can’t teach an old dog, new tricks• Actions speak louder than words• Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re usually

right• It’s always darkest before the dawn• Every cloud has a silver lining• No pain, no gain• A friend in need is a friend indeed• Slow and steady wins the race• That which does not kill me, makes me stronger• If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck• The bigger they are, the harder they fall• An apple a day keeps the doctor away• Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, &

wise

Conventional Wisdom• Ideas or explanations that are generally

accepted as true

• Belief is held even if there is no evidence to support it

• May be either true or false

• May be seen as a barrier to new theories or explanations

Psychology

• Psychology is a science– It is the study of the Mind, Brain, and Behavior

• Beliefs expressed as conventional wisdom are the focus of psychological research– The belief: Misery loves company can be

expressed as a hypothesis that can be tested

Study Skills

Study Skills

• College is different from High School

– There may be no assigned homework other than reading; no one will check on whether you’ve done it or not

– Feedback is less frequent• Grades are based primarily on results of exams

and quizzes not regular homework

– Studying is therefore self-paced

Study Skills

• How to study– Massed vs spaced learning– Studying to prevent forgetting

• When to study– Time management– Prioritize and plan

How to Study

• Massed vs spaced learning

– Massed learning cramming

– Spaced learning space learning out over time

• Spaced learning is more efficient than massed learning

How to Study

• With spaced learning, more material can be learned in the same amount of time

– i.e., More material can be learned during 2 – 30 minute study sessions than 1 – 1 hour study session

– Spaced learning offsets encoding failures due to fatigue and poor concentration

• Encoding is how you store information• Encoding requires attention

• Material is retained for longer periods

How to Study: Prevent Forgetting

• Elaborative Rehearsal Make it meaningful

– Think about what you already know about the topic and tie the new information into existing information

– Make up examples based on your personal experience

How to Study: Prevent Forgetting

• Overlearn

– just because you have read and understood the material does NOT mean you will remember it

– Continue to review and rehearse the information to strengthen the memory

How to Study: Prevent Forgetting

• Don’t get tripped up by unexpected wording on an exam

– Test yourself by asking the question in a number of different ways

– Better yet, study with a friend and test one another

How to Study: Prevent Forgetting

• Avoid interference The last thing you study should be material for your exam the next day

• Ensure encoding remembering requires attention and concentration– Study somewhere with minimal distractions– Study during the day, when you are most alert

Time Management: Weekly

• Rule of Thumb

– study 2-3 hours for each credit, each week

– Thus, you should devote 6 to 9 hours to studying each week for a 3-credit course

– Yes, four courses is a full-time job!

Time Management: Weekly

• Make a study schedule and stick to it

– Plan 1-2 hours for reading the text prior to each class

– Devote 30 minutes to 1 hour following each class to reviewing and editing notes

– Devote additional time during the week to:• Rereading and highlighting the text• Reviewing notes• Taking practice quizzes at the end of each chapter• Teaching the material to someone else

A Little Sidebar about this Class

• Note: I will NOT test you on anything in the textbook that I did not cover in class!

• So…– Read the entire chapter in advance of the class to get

a feel for the topic– After class, reread only those sections in the textbook

that cover material we discussed in class

• If an answer to an exam or quiz question is something I have not covered in class, then it is the WRONG answer!

Time Management: Weekly

• Plan in time to rest and relax

– Do not study while eating

– If you have a favorite tv show or a regularly scheduled activity, plan studying around it

– Eat well and get enough exercise

– Try to get 7-8 hours of sleep per night

Time Management: Monthly and Beyond

• Prioritize and Plan– Allot time according to difficulty

• Spend more time on your most difficult class and relatively less time on your easier classes (don’t assume that this will be an easy class)

– Be aware of deadlines and exam schedules • If you space out your studying, you will know what you don’t

understand and can ask questions• You will not need to “cram” the night before the exam!

– A good night’s sleep is critical for good performance