By Reece Putrich
When studying for an exam, do you try hard to remember everything? Then when you get the exam, you go mind blank and forget it all? Well, this is because you may have shallow processing. Shallow processing happens when you choose to only try and remember the physical features of an object or task. (1) This may happen when you are in a science class and must remember a diagram. While you may be having to memorize the diagram, you may possibly only try to remember the pictures and features you can see. On the other hand, if you were trying to pay close attention to the words or definitions this would then be called deep processing. (1) Deep processing allows our brain to hold more memories and allows our minds to remember information better. You are probably wondering where shallow processing and deep processing come from.
Well, there is this theory called levels of processing. Levels of processing is a theory designed by Craik and Lockhart. Levels of processing focus on how well the information is stored and how well that memory will last. (2) Levels of processing happens within any memory you are trying to have. Memory is a big factor when it comes to learning new or old information. Some ideas may stick and become long-term memory, and some may not stick for very long and that is considered short-term memory. Long-term memory is when you are able to remember things for a long period of time. An example would be your address. Short-term memory is when you only remember things for a short period of time. An example would be trying to remember someone’s name you just met. Within levels of processing there are two different main levels. The shallowest level, which goes along with shallow processing, is called perceptual processing. Perceptual processing is the process of physical and sensory information of the object stored and remembered. (4) The deepest process, which also is deep processing, is the semantic processing. Semantic processing is the recognition and drawing out the meaning. (4) So along with the thought of studying, your mind and brain work within this level of processing. Shallow processing and deep processing help and work with this level of processing. They are both types of processing and they all work together. Encoding also plays a role within levels of processing, deep processing, and shallow processing. This is because encoding is based on how well those memories are stored and how long they are going to be stored. (3) When talking about encoding, some memories will move from shallow to semantic depending on how long you decide to study and try to store that information. (5) This all relies on whether you want to try and remember the information or if you are just reading over something once. If memories or information is stored for longer than it would be considered deep processing. If the information is stored for a short period of time, then it is called shallow processing. Encoding is a part of levels of processing and is worked within that category, but encoding is based on how well the memory is remembered and how well it is sticking in your memory. Knowing that all your memory is based on levels of processing, it may help to know and figure out what works best for you to remember information. If you are catching yourself not remembering the information for the exams or tests you take in high school, try and find a new solution to your studying. Sometimes it takes a couple of times for your mind to process and store the information, but other times it could take only one try. This whole process is something that could occur more than once. We constantly ask ourselves how can we remember information or topics better? How can we get better at it? Well, this all comes down to how well you can store the information. This is why levels of processing can also be considered circular in its logic. Circular means that within the process of levels of processing, it is a continuous cycle. Everything happens the same way as the last time it may have occurred. For example, if someone wanted to know how to remember information better, they would process the information more deeply. Meaning that the person would need to process more deeply, but to do so they would need to remember the information better. It may seem like that was a repeated sentence, but that is how the circular reasoning within levels of processing happens. Overall, levels of processing have a big part within your brain that allows you to retain and remember information. It all depends on how long you decide to study for and how long you want that information to stick. This is something that may help you realize that studying more and trying to store that information will help you be prepared for that next quiz. So, the next time you catch yourself thinking about how you think you have that information down, maybe check over your notes and double check before walking into the classroom.
References
- Pollack, A. E. (2022, June 1). Deep versus shallow processing: A learning and memory experiment for asynchronous and synchronous online platforms. Journal of undergraduate neuroscience education: JUNE: a publication of FUN, Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10653231/
- By, Mcleod, S., on, U., & 16, J. (2023, June 16). Levels of processing theory (Craik & Lockhart, 1972). Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/levelsofprocessing.html
- Galli, G. (2014, May 28). What makes deeply encoded items memorable? Insights into the levels of processing framework from neuroimaging and neuromodulation. Frontiers in psychiatry. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4035598/
- (PDF) levels of processing: The evolution of a framework. (n.d.). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262758756_Levels_of_processing_The_evolution_of_a_framework
- Ragland, J. D., Moelter, S. T., McGrath, C., Hill, S. K., Gur, R. E., Bilker, W. B., Siegel, S. J., & Gur, R. C. (2003, December 1). Levels-of-processing effect on word recognition in schizophrenia. Biological psychiatry. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4332587/
I found that your research to be very interesting and found a few connections to my own research on the consolidation process. The levels of processing have to do with the processing short-term and long-term memories which is a vital part of the consolidation process. I also found interesting the part of research to be the storage of information. Storage of information is apart of the consolidation process and some of your analogies helped me to understand this topic better. The analogy to the circle really helped me to understand to the entire process of how the brain processes and stores information through the levels of processing.