Unlocking your brain’s power: The secret to easier studying

By Isabella Carbajal

For first-year college students, the transition from high school to college can be challenging, especially when the ways of studying and learning begin to change. Luckily, there are beneficial ways of improving and overcoming these challenges if we understand the concept of load theory of attention. Do not fear, it is not as complicated as it may seem, and will change the way you think about studying!

What is load theory?

Load theory of attention consists of many underlying concepts, including processing capacity and perceptual load. Load theory in general is almost like a guide to understanding how your brain processes information when you are trying to learn new things. In a learning environment, especially in college, our learning capacity for holding information grows larger than ever before. It is easy for us as students for our mind to slowly wander off while we are trying to focus on studying or trying to listen to a lecture that lasts over an hour (yes—lectures can last this long or even longer!). For individuals who have a low attention span, sometimes they use their attention to focus on other distractors instead of the focus of attention at hand (1). Becoming easily distracted is not an uncommon thing for students, but trying to minimize the number of distractions we have will ultimately improve our attention span (5).

Your brain is like an energy source: processing capacity

Although our brain is a guide to understanding information we process, our brain is not wired to hold a lot of information, especially if it is information that is complex and new to us. Within processing capacity, we are only able to remember so much information and we all differ in the way we hold information. For some, our working memory (this is our temporary thoughts that do not last a long time) can influence how much we are able to hold in our capacity (6). According to Lavie 2014, tasks that involve a large load of information, or high perceptual load, result in no perception of the information because we are not attending to what is being presented (3).

Understanding our focus

Focus is one of the most crucial aspects of the relationship between attention and awareness. According to Lavie 2014, load theory of attention argues that awareness depends on the availability of our limited-capacity attention, where our stronger hold of perceptual awareness diminishes the amount of information our brain can hold while the lower perceptual load takes in the important information but also includes irrelevant information (3) In more simple terms, if we are demanded to use our high perceptual load, any other distractors would be irrelevant to our focus of information being processed while low perceptual load is the opposite of this. (2)

Now that we know the basics of perceptual load theory, how can we mitigate the challenges of studying and learning?

Ways to study effectively:

• No crazy distractions

As mentioned earlier, it is easy for students to get lost in distractions from other outside sources, such as looking at our phones constantly, watching television, listening to loud music, being in a large group of people talking, etc. Try your best to avoid these factors because if you are learning a difficult concept, you will not be able to fully grasp everything that is being said or you may find it difficult to complete hard assignments. Put everything on DND!

• Reduce splitting your attention

When you are learning from different visuals like diagrams, labels, and readings all at once, it can be challenging because your brain must juggle everything, making it harder to understand and remember. Try to combine the labels with the diagrams instead of keeping them separate. If this is not possible, try your best to focus on one thing at a time such as looking at the reading before jumping into visuals (4).

• Use visuals to your advantage!

According to a study from Mayer & Moreno, 1998, students found it more effective to learn a topic when they watched an animation with someone talking about it rather than just reading the text on the screen (5). While looking at visual aids, make sure to actively speak about what you are looking at. Visuals are a great alternative way to make your studying or learning more interactive, sustaining focus, prioritizing active learning, and reducing cognitive overload.

• Study sessions

Make sure to spread your study sessions over a period of time rather than cramming information all at once. Plan ahead, chunk your information into smaller topics, review your notes regularly, and take plenty of breaks in between! Creating this consistency for structured study sessions will help you to stay on track and make good progress in learning the material.

References

(1) Cowan, N. (2010). The Magical Mystery Four: How is Working Memory Capacity Limited, and Why? National Center for Biotechnology Information, 19(1), 51-57. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721409359277

(2) Forster, S., & Lavie, N. (2009). Harnessing the wandering mind: The role of perceptual load. National Center for Biotechnology Information, 111(3), 345-355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2009.02.006

(3) Lavie, N., Beck, M. D., & Konstantinou, N. (2014). Blinded by the load: attention, awareness, and the role of perceptual load. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0205

(4) Leppink, J., & Heuvel, A. (2015). The evolution of cognitive load theory and its application to medical education. National Center for Biotechnology Information, 4(3), 119-127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-015-0192-x

(5) Mayer, R., & Moreno, R. (1998). A split-attention effect in multimedia learning: evidence for dual processing systems in working memory. Journal of Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/00220663.90.2.312

(6) Paas, F., & Jeroen, G. J. (2020). Cognitive-Load Theory: Methods to Manage Working Memory Load in the Learning of Complex Tasks. Sage Journals, 29(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721420922183

(7) Stevens, C., & Bavelier, D. (2012). The role of selective attention on academic foundations: A cognitive neuroscience perspective. Dev Cognitive Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2011.11.001