Final Research Essay DRAFT

Ryan Wrubel
Professor A.M. Yerks
Comp 106
Study Skills for Success and the Cost of Cramming
In colleges across the country, cramming is the craze. Cramming is a way for students to get through college without actually committing anything to long-term memory. Over the course of a semester, there are many students who do not attend a single lecture. Some never even open a book to study until the night before a final exam. This semester, I have taken an interest in the study habits of the students around me. I have observed and researched study habits with regard to study session length, frequency of repetition, and total amount of days studied.
Cramming is the mainstream way for college students to produce a good grade. However, the grade on an exam is not a direct reflection of how well a student stored information in his or her long-term memory. Following extensive research and observation, I have concluded that in order to ensure that information is stored into a student’s long-term memory, it is important that he or she studies multiple times, for an ideal amount of time, and at optimum intervals between study sessions.
Learning is a complex process rooted in the field of psychology.Learning is simply storing information into memory. Memory storage can be explained by a three step process of encoding, storage, and retrieval. David G. Meyers, psychology professor at Hope College, in Holland, Michigan, compares human memory to a computer. Meyers states:
“… our memory is like a computer’s information-processing system. To remember any event, we must get information into our brain (encoding), retain that information (storage), and later get it back out (retrieval)… First, [a computer] translates input (keystrokes) into an electronic language, much as the brain encodes sensory information into neural language. The computer permanently stores vast amounts of information on a disk, from which it can later be retrieved” (Meyers, 351).
The process, explained by Meyers, of storing information into neural language is important to college students. When given a test, a student’s retrieval of information is being put to the test. In order for memories to be easily retrieved, they must be stored in the brain through a process called effortful processing.
Effortful processing is a way of encoding information that requires attention and effort. To a college student, effortful processing is achieved through studying and rehearsing course material. The result of effortful processing is durable and accessible memories (Meyers). Effortful processing encodes information by relating it to a students real life experiences. For example, one could use acronyms and mnemonic devices to create retrieval cues during effortful processing. (i.e. ROY G BIV is a good way to remember the colors in the electromagnetic spectrum)
German scientist Hermann Ebbinghaus, esteemed author of Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology, is the godfather of learning and memory. Through his experiments, he devised many theories about how the brain stores and retains information. The most significant of his theories offered mathematical evidence of a phenomenon known as: the spacing effect. Ebbinghaus’ discovery of the spacing effect was an epic breakthrough in the field of psychology. The discovery of the spacing effect is clearly described in an article, by Gary Wolf, titled Want to Remember Everything You'll Ever Learn? Surrender to This Algorithm. Wolf expresses the significance of Ebbinghaus’ discovery when he states:
“Ebbinghaus showed that it's possible to dramatically improve learning by correctly spacing practice sessions. On one level, this finding is trivial; all students have been warned not to cram. But the efficiencies created by precise spacing are so large, and the improvement in performance so predictable, that from nearly the moment Ebbinghaus described the spacing effect, psychologists have been urging educators to use it to accelerate human progress. After all, there is a tremendous amount of material we might want to know. Time is short” (Wolf).
This statement is directed to educators. However, these ideas should also be of much significance to college students who not only be try to get good grades but also be try to get the most out of their education.
The spacing effect explains that in order for an optimum amount of information to be retained, the intervals between repetitions must be ideal. According to the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve (Figure 1), in order to successfully store information into long-term memory, one must increase the interval between each subsequent review. With each review, at an increased interval, the rate that one forgets the information decreases. So for a student, he or she must develop a system that trains the brain to actively retrieve stored information.
Seeing as everyone learns differently, the optimum time between each interval varies depending on the individual. Software programs have been developed that calculate the optimum time between intervals for each person. One such program is called RecallPlus. Creators of RecallPlus claim:
“Frequent reviews are easier to do than more spaced out reviews and give you a memory that can be retrieved easily. However, the memories also fade more quickly than those created by the greater effort of recalling something after a longer interval” (citation).
This expresses the importance of a spaced interval between review sessions. Countless hours have been devoted to researching the effects of spaced study sessions. It is foolish for one to disregard the claims of the experts and continue to cram for exams.
The spacing effect can easily be applied to the study habits of a college student. In order to apply the spacing effect, it is necessary that he or she begins to study and review exam material 2 weeks before an exam. After the first review session, review again the next day. Then, wait 2 days to review again. Then 4 days. The extended time between studying exercises the brains ability to retrieve stored information. Thus, the information is stored in long-term memory. Having information in long term memory stops a student from
When students frantically study the course material the night before an exam, it is possible to do well on an exam. However, good grades do not necessarily reflect how much a student learned. Many students go through a process of studying, taking an exam, and immediately forgetting most of the information. This process may work for a student to get good grades, but it defeats the overarching purpose of post-secondary education. There is no point of learning information if it is never actively rehearsed and stored into long-term memory.
It is a proven fact that cramming does not store the learned information in a student’s long-term memory. Cramming is an inefficient way of learning. Cramming is not only bad because the information is not stored into long-term memory. In an attempt to force ones brain to learn too much material in not enough time, one is not be able to do other things to prepare the brain for a big exam. Without having to cram, one can use the time before the exam to get a good night of sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, exercise to relieve stress and just relax (Collins). It is more beneficial for a student to study over an extended period of time, at increasing intervals, in order to ensure that they retain learned information over a longer period of time.
Overall, doing well on exams requires an effective study plan, active study strategies, and a good memory (Blerkom). The actual processes carried out, that constitute active study strategies, vary for each student. One study strategy involves using the spacing effect to organize an effective study plan. In order for a student to utilize the spacing effect for active rehearsal, it is important that he or she begins studying and reviewing at least 2 weeks prior to an exam. Over the two weeks, the student must review in short sessions with increasing intervals as the test date approaches.