By Alexis Cole
Have you ever studied for a test but then when the time came to actually take the test you completely blanked? Many factors play a role in how well our memory works in different circumstances. One way you can try to improve your memory when studying for school is to use the encoding specificity principle. The encoding specificity principle is the idea that when we learn information we are processing both the information and the environment in which we learned it so we have better recall of that information when we are trying to remember it in an environment similar to the one we learned the information in (1). If we apply this concept to school we see that it is important to study for exams in an environment similar to the environment we will be in when we take the exam.
One of most well-known experiments done on the encoding specificity principle was conducted using divers (1). These divers were split into groups made to listen to a list of words. One group listened to the words underwater and the other group listened to the words on dry land. When later tested to see how many of the words they could recall, the divers that listened to the words on land recalled more words on land then underwater and the divers that listened to the words underwater recalled more words underwater than on land.
Other research has been done with more obvious applications to college students that shows again that the environment you study in has an effect on recall. People recall information better in the room they learned it in rather than somewhere else. For students being tested on information in the room it was taught to you results in better scores than being tested in a different room (2). Another study’s results showed that studying in a quiet environment meant that recall during the test would be better if the environment was quiet rather than noisy and vice versa (3). This same study expanded research from just improvement in recall, short answer questions, to looking at improvement in recognition, multiple choice questions, as well and found that recognition also improves when environments stay similar.
It has been demonstrated many times that encoding information in a specific environment and then later recalling it in the same or similar environment will give better results than trying to recall in a different environment. However, the idea of the encoding specificity principle may be beneficial to your studies even if you can not be in an environment similar to your testing environment. Evidence has shown that even just imagining the environment that you will later recall information in while learning it and studying has a positive effect on your recall (4). Imagination can be applied to voice as well. If you study information and imagine a certain voice reciting the information to you then you will have an easier time recalling the information at a later time if you are hearing a voice similar to the one you imagined when studying (5).
An idea similar to the encoding specificity principle that can also help in studying and recalling information is state-dependent learning. Not only can the environment around you be processed when encoding information but also your physical and emotional state as well. The same idea prevails that you will have an easier time recalling information if you are in a similar state to the one you were in when you were learning the information. A few examples of this are your exercise state, emotional state, and how caffeinated you are. If you learn something while resting or exercising you better recall it in that same state (6). Also, if you learn something in a specific emotional state like happy or sad you recall the information best in that same emotional state (7). Finally, if you have caffeine in your body while studying you will recall the information you studied best if you again have caffeine in your body (8).
To summarize, a helpful tool to utilize during studying that will help improve your chances of remembering the information you need to remember is the encoding specificity principle. Ways that you can use the principle to help you are to take the environment you will be taking a test in and studying for the test in a similar room, in a place with a similar noise level, and generally matching as many details from the test environment in your study environment as possible. You can couple the encoding specificity principle with state-dependent learning to continue to better increase your recall of information. Study in a similar physical and mental state you predict you will be in during the test and have the same substances in your body that you will have in you during the test. Continue to match both your external and internal environments during studying to the external and internal environment you will be in during the test. This will increase your odds of recalling all of the information you will need and prevent that moment of drawing a blank.
References
(1) Godden, D. R., & Baddeley, A. D. (1975). Context-Dependent Memory in two Natural Environments: On Land and Underwater. British Journal of Psychology, 66 (3), 325–331. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8295.1975.tb01468.x
(2) Metzger, R. L., Boschee, P. F., Haugen, T., & Schnobrich, B. L. (1979). The Classroom as Learning Context: Changing Rooms Affects Performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 71 (4), 440–442. https://doi/10.1037/0022-0663.71.4.440
(3) Grant, H. M., Bredahl, L. C., Clay, J., Ferrie, J., Groves, J. E., McDorman, T. A., & Dark, V. J. (1998). Context-Dependent Memory for Meaningful Material: Information for Students. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 12 (6), 617–623. https://doi/10.1002/(SICI)1099-0720(1998120)12:6%3C617::AID-ACP542%3E3.0.CO;2 -5
(4) Jerabeck, I., & Standing L. (1992). Imagined Test Situations Produce Contextual Memory Enhancement. Perceptual Motor Skills, 75 (2), 400. https://doi.org/10.2466/pms.1992.75.2.400
(5) Geiselman, R. E., & Glenny, J. (1977). Effects of imagining speakers’ voices on the retention of words presented visually. Memory & Cognition, 5 (5), 499–504. https://doi.org/10.3758/bf03197392
(6) Yanes, D., Frith, E., & Loprinzi, P. D. (2019). Memory-Related Encoding-Specificity Paradigm: Experimental Application to the Exercise Domain. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 15 (3), 447-458. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v15i3.1767
(7) Eich, E., & Metcalfe, J. (1989). Mood Dependent Memory for Internal Versus External Events. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 15 (3), 443–455. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-7393.15.3.443
(8) Kelemen, W. L., & Creeley, C. E. (2003). State-Dependent Memory Effects Using Caffeine and Placebo Do Not Extend to Metamemory. The Journal of General Psychology, 130 (1), 70–86. https://doi/10.1080/00221300309601276