Cognitive Psychology in Education
By Ashley Guingrich
Everyone studies differently! Are you one of those people who studies, with your homework and notes sprawled out everywhere, while the TV is on? Maybe you enjoy going to the library and hiding behind the bookshelves. Perhaps you enjoy noisy banging and clanging of pans, while your dog barks every 10 seconds. Possibly, you’re none of these people, and MUST STUDY OUTSIDE no matter what, with your laptop. Whatever the case may be, take a moment and think about how you study.
By Nina Relias and Madeline Rockhold
Ever heard of the expressions “dress well to test well” or “I only study well when I am under a lot of stress”? Most college students have their own theories or myths about their study habits which may or may not be accurate. We will be addressing these myths by exploring the nature of state dependent memory and learning. Psychologists have determined that outside factors influence how one studies. By definition, state dependent learning is a type of learning that is associated with a specific state. People have better memory recall when information is retrieved in the same state that it was learned in. Especially when referring to mood. This occurs because human’s brains are comprised of a network of interconnected units or nodes, which activate other surrounding emotional nodes. These nodes are connected to certain events and stimuli in one’s environment that are associated with a specific emotion. These emotions are spread to other association nodes that then are able to interpret stored information along the pathway of activation with more accessibility (1). In short, someone will have better memory retrieval if that person’s mood or physical state is the same at both encoding and retrieval.
By Emma Hartmann and Hannah Menz
In a world of technology, many people listen to music. With Apple Music, Pandora, and Spotify, at our fingertips, it’s difficult to unplug. College students especially listen to their favorite songs walking to class, working out, or even while writing papers. Often, the flow of music is non-stop, continuing as they wander into the library to study for exams. Music is known to have many effects on the brain that alter mood and arousal states, yet, could these changes in cognitive functions help or hinder the productivity of student’s precious study time?