By Chloe Pluger
Introduction
Have you ever stayed up hours on end studying: rereading the notes, writing everything down, even pulling an all nighter to open the test and thinking your still going to fail.
It’s very annoying when you know you put all that effort into studying. The issue is though the problem might not be how much you were studying all that information it could be the way you organized what you were learning.
While in college theres so much going on multiple classes, different deadlines, sports, and other responsibilities. Without having a clear schedule all the information you are told could start to come together or you could forget it. Now this is when cognitive psychology comes into play.
This post will be going over how organization affects memory, why your brain relies on structure to process the information, and how you can apply simple, research-backed strategies so you are able to change the bad study habits into more organized and effective ways to recall the information.
What Is Organization When It Comes To Learning?
Organization in cognitive psychology is how information is structured, grouped, and connected in your mind.
When it comes to your brain it doesn’t just store information randomly it will organize it into related patterns. When the information is stored in an organized way it’s easier to understand, store, and retrieve later. But once you start making your notes in a unorganized or unstructured way your brain will start to struggle to understand all the information.
For example: Trying to remember disorganized notes is like searching through your camera roll for one exact photo you have no idea where it is and its not in any albums but you know its there just it will take awhile to find.
Why Organization Helps Memory
A very important finding when it comes to cognitive psychology is that organized information is remembered significantly better than random information.
In a classic study by Bower et al,. there were participants who would study words arranged into categories recalled significantly more than those who studied the same words randomly. 1 This highlights the hierarchical organization which is grouping information into multiple categories than this is helping memory by giving it that structure.
This is able to work because your brain is using mental frameworks to organize knowledge, creating a easier way to store and retrieve information.
Working Memory Has Limits
Another reason organization is very important is because your working memory is limited.
According to research by Miller, people can only attain about 7(plus or minus 2) pieces of information at once. 2 This means if you attempt to study a big amount of unorganized information your brain will start to become overwhelmed.
Now this is when chunking becomes useful it will group information into smaller and manageable parts.
Chunking: Organizing Information Into Groups
Chunking involves you to organize big amounts of information into smaller groups, reducing the demand on working memory. 2
Rather than memorizing a long list of unrelated facts, you can categorize them into specific categories, this than helps making them easier to remember and process.
Cognitive Load: Why Disorganization Overwhelms You
Have you ever looked back at your notes and thought how unorganized they were?
That feeling is shown through the cognitive load theory, which shows that too much unstructured information can overwhelm your brain and reduce learning effectiveness. 3
When your notes are very unorganized this will cause your brain to work harder to: make connections, find key ideas, and being able to process all the information.
Dual Coding: Why Visual Organization Works
One of the top ways to be able to organize your information is by using visuals.
Dual coding theory is meaning people learn better when information is presented through both verbally and visually.
This leads to many different pathways for memory which is improving recall. 4
This is why when you use diagrams, color code, or even maps for notes make them so much more effective in the long run for your brain.
Depth of Processing: Organization Means Better Understanding
Not all studying habits are equal.
According to depth of processing theory, this is when information is processed deeply especially through meaning and connections is able to be remembered better than information processed shallowly. 5
When you go to organize your notes naturally people tend to connect ideas, create meaning, and then form different relationship’s.
Organized studying leads to stronger, longer-lasting memory.
Spacing Effect: Organizing Your Time Matters Too
Organization is not just about how you make your notes but it also is when you decide to study.
Research by Cepeda et al. show that spacing out study sessions improves long-term retention compared to cramming. 6
When you start to spread out studying it will help your brain have more time to process information, memory becomes stronger, and you will avoid all that overload.
Real-Life Situations You May Experience
In life at some point you have probably gone through disorganized learning without even noticing it.
This tends to happen when you study from random notes, slides, or even screenshots. When you go and highlight everything without any sort of reason why. Mixing up different concepts from other classes. You may just feel overwhelmed before exams.
When you go and study different subjects without organizing your notes it could make you mix the information up and put them together.
Your brain just needs structure to study so it can function and work effectively.
How To Study Smarter With Organization
Here are easy ways that are research backed strategies to study!
- Chunk information into small categories
- Use structured notes
- Add visuals
- Make connection between ideas
- Space out your study sessions
In Conclusion
As a college student who struggled in the beginning to learn how to organize her information you are able to change those habits and become better at them when you: structure your notes, create headlines and subtitles, use visuals, connect concepts, and just space out your studying times.
You don’t want to just memorize all that information you want to be able to build a space for your brain so it can actually be used.
Next time you go don’t ask yourself: “How long am I gonna study for”
Ask yourself: “How can I structure this to retain all the information I study”
References
- Bower, G. H., Clark, M. C., Lesgold, A. M., & Winzenz, D. (1969). Hierarchical retrieval schemes in recall of categorized word lists. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gordon-Bower/publication/223321611_Hierarchical_Retrieval_Schemes_in_Recall_of_Categorized_Word_Lists/links/5ad69731458515c60f569908/Hierarchical-Retrieval-Schemes-in-Recall-of-Categorized-Word-Lists.pdf
- Miller, G. A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. https://labs.la.utexas.edu/gilden/files/2016/04/MagicNumberSeven-Miller1956.pdf
- Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving. Paivio, A. (Dual Coding Theory). https://mrbartonmaths.com/resourcesnew/8.%20Research/Explicit%20Instruction/Cognitive%20Load%20during%20problem%20solving.pdf
- Paivio, A. (Dual Coding Theory). https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/dual-coding-theory
- Craik, F. I. M., & Tulving, E. (Depth of processing framework). https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/topss/teaching-resources/depth-of-processing
- Cepeda, N. J., et al. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks. https://augmentingcognition.com/assets/Cepeda2006.pdf