It’s Thursday night and the bright green numbers on the digital clock are quickly approaching midnight. Huge textbooks form stacks on every flat surface. Papers cover the grey carpeted floor to a point where it is rendered unrecognizable.
This is the site of late-night cramming. And though it may consume hours upon hours, exactly how much information is retained from cramming is debatable.
Lynne Baker-Ward, a psychology professor, said studying and memory go hand-in-hand, and also commented on retention of material for exams.
“How much information the brain retains depends on the way people study, but conventionally, the working memory, or what you are conscious of, can hold from five to seven items.” Baker-Ward said. “It is very limited.
“Most psychologists believe brain capacity is without limits, and it just depends on us moving information from our conscious awareness to our long-term memory for retention.”
Baker-Ward said the temporal lobe and prefrontal cortex are some parts of the brain responsible for memory and studying abilities.
“Studying and engaging your brain fully in your college work are the best ways for students to increase memory,” Baker-Ward said.
And there are methods students can utilize to retain more information for exams.
“Linking incoming information to information that is already known is a good way to remember things,” Baker-Ward said. “If you can generate examples with the information you are studying and compare and contrast the information to things you already know, you will be more likely to remember the new facts.”
Another trick for cramming for exams, she said, is to be aware of your different types of exams.
“Most students do not tailor their studying to the different exams they will be taking like essays, multiple choice, or fill-in-the-blanks,” Baker-Ward said.
It can also be helpful to spread out studying as much as possible, versus studying for an extended period of time on only one night. She also suggested studying at night before going to bed to retain more information.
Karen Lundin, a freshman in communication, said although she has not started studying for all of her exams, she does have specific study techniques.
“I study in small time periods for each class, using the study guides that my professors have posted or e-mailed,” Lundin said.
According to Lundin, the amount of information she remembers from studying varies according to the subject.
“I cannot really tell [how long I remember something] because I pick up on some topics more than others, but I always review what I have studied before studying more material,” Lundin said.
But overall, Lundin said she has a good memory.
“I am able to remember more math and language than what I have learned in other classes,” Lundin said. “But, I think I have a pretty good memory because I can remember most of what I have learned.”
Greg Whitener, a junior in animal science, said he hasn’t started studying for his exams either. But once he buckles down, though, Whitener said he has a plan.
“I use the study guides that professors give out,” Whitener said. “I go through the list and study until I can write something down for everything on the list.”
Since studying and memory compliment each other, Whitener acknowledged his retention.
“My memory is decent — not as good as it once was,” Whitener said. “I try to improve my memory just by studying.
“If I am cramming, then I usually only remember the information for a day or two. But if I am studying for something I like, maybe genetics or anatomy, then I could remember it for weeks or longer.”
