Posted on by alexbswan

Do You Want to Pass your Next Test?

By Haley Haggard

Have you ever failed a test before even though you studied for hours on end? Let me guess how you studied, you copied down what was on the power-point word for word and thought “well that should be enough!”. Well, you were wrong. When you are frantically trying to keep up with the professor and copying down word for word from the PowerPoint you are not processing what is being said because you are processing on a shallow level. This is where the level of processing theory comes in, it is going to help you process information at a deeper level to help you remember what is going on in class. I am going to teach you about the level of processing theory and how you can use it to your advantage when studying for your next test.

Level of Processing Theory

The level of processing theory is a model of memory that suggests that memory is a continuous dimension, the deeper the processing of information the greater the chance of it being retrieved (1). In non-science talk that means that the deeper the information is stored away into your memory, there is a better chance of it being recalled when needed. Below I included a diagram that helps to better understand the Level of Processing (LOP) theory.

LOP starts on a more shallow level and continues down into a deeper level. At the shallow level are structural things you will remember about something, an example would be the color, shape, or size of an item. 

If I ask you to memorize these words, 

  • Firetruck
  • Rose
  • Tomato
  • Strawberry

When I asked what the words are, there is a higher chance that you will remember that all of the words are the color red, but you would have a harder time remembering what the actual words were. A deeper level of LOP theory is phonetic, or the way something sounds. This is considered a more in-depth version of LOP because when you hear something instead of just reading something you will remember it in your short-term storage for about 5-20 seconds compared to the 1-2 seconds of sensory storage (2). Basically what that means if I asked you to remember these words 

  • Flute
  • Cute
  • Suit
  • Toot

You will most likely be able to recall more of these words than the ones listed above because of the way they all rhyme. You are listening to them and realizing they are words that all rhyme which in turn means that you would be able to remember more words. The final level of LOP or the deepest level would be Semantic. This means that you put a deeper meaning into the words you are trying to remember. So If I asked you to remember these words,

  • Dog 
  • Blue
  • Ball
  • Park

And asked you to put them in a sentence, an example would be “I saw a dog with a blue ball at the park”, you would most likely remember all the words because you put meaning behind these words. So back to the power-point issue, if you are just copying word for word of what is on the PowerPoint and not listening to what the professor is saying, then you are processing all of that information at a shallow level which means it is moved into your secondary memory and not something that you will be immediately be able to retrieve (3). You need to be careful of circular reasoning though since LOP has not been directly related to memory performance, you could find yourself repeating the same process over and over again. What this means is that instead of justifying your level of depth when processing information, you get caught in a loop that is a never-ending cycle (4). So you could think that you are starting to possess things in that semantic level, but in actuality, you are still at the structural stage because all you can remember is the color or shape of what all the items are instead of putting meaning to them which in turns causes a deeper way of memorizing them. 

How To Use Level of Processing Theory to Make Me a Better Student 

There are multiple ways to use the Level of Processing theory to make you a better student. Some of these ways are reworking, Method of Loci, and imagery (5).

Reworking

Reworking is when you put the information you are being taught and putting it into your own words. By doing this not only are you going over the information taught to you during class, but you are also processing the information on a deeper level because you are putting meaning into it. 

Method of Loci

The Method of Loci is when you link-specific information that you need to remember to a familiar place. So if you want to remember to buy bread on your way home from work, imagine the bread in your office at work by the door so that way when you are getting ready to leave you start to walk towards the door and remember that “oh yeah, I need to stop and get bread”.

Imagery

Imagery is when you make a mental map in your head, and you associate each room with something you need to remember. So imaging a fake house and starting with the living room, then head to the kitchen, the bathroom, etc. In each room put something that you need to remember and when you “walk” through this fake house you will, in theory, remember the things you put into each room.

Other Alternatives

  • Acronyms 
  • Categorizing the information
  • Make it personal

All of these ways work because you are applying a personal meaning into what you need to remember and in the process processing it at a deeper level. 

In Conclusion

STOP COPYING THE POWERPOINT WORD FOR WORD!! Instead see if the power-point is available to you before the class, if so then print the power-point out beforehand and read it over, that way while in class you can pay more attention to what the professor is saying and will be able to write down what they are saying which is the most important information. Just another thing to remember, LOP is not a diagram that you can follow to a tee, it is a vague concept that cannot be observed and therefore cannot be measured. So I hope you all well on your next test or exam and just remember. 

References

  1. Ting. The Levels of Processing (LOP) Model of Memory, 10 Feb. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=C70Bmxl8KSA.
  2. Craik, F. I.M., & Lockhart, R. S. (1972). Levels of Processing: A Framework for Memory Research. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 11, 13.
  3. Rose, Nathan, “A Processing Approach to the Working Memory/Long-Term Memory Distinction: Evidence from a Levels-ofProcessing Span Task” (2010). All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs). 300. https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/etd/300
  4. Rips, L. J. (2002). Circular Reasoning. Cognitive Science, 26, 28.
  5. McLeod, S. (2007). Level of Processing. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/levelsofprocessing.html