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Preface
Introduction
1. The Big Picture
2. Techniques of Studying
3. Examinations
4. Thinking Process
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1. The Big Picture
2. Techniques of Studying
3. Examinations
4. Thinking Process
Resources
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2. Mechanics and Techniques of Studying
A methodical approach | The weekly schedule card | Why study? – Material rewards | Why study? – Non-material rewards | The wall calendar | The pocket date book | Sleep | Tools of the trade general | Tools of the trade specific | Go out for sports? | How detailed should class notes be? | Four methods of taking notes | Notebook inspection | Some note-taking hints | What is important? | What is not important? | Study old exams? | Working conditions | A typical study session | “Take ten!” | Retroactive amnesia | The curve of learning | The law of diminishing returns | The curve of forgetting | Hypnosis | Teaching machines | Reading-acceleration machines | Television | Scrambled books | Distractions enemies of retention
Working Conditions
To create the proper working conditions best for you, imagine yourself to be an employer of people hired to perform an intricate task, requiring intense concentration. You are supposedly paying them about $4 an hour, and you want their work to be very accurate. What working conditions would you recommend, if it were your decision?
The answer would be, in brief, the best possible conditions with a minimum of distracting influences. You would not want unnecessarily long coffee breaks, and you would insist upon having the best equipment that will enable them to turn out an excellent piece of work in the shortest time!
The same set-up should apply for studying. Your Future Self is your employer, and right now you arc the highly-paid expert, working for Your Future Self!
A. Lighting: Glare produces fatigue and slow-down. Supplement the
desk light with indirect light. The desk light sharpens your vision by narrowing the pupil of your eye. The indirect light softens the
fatiguing contrast.
C. Quiet! In some lines of work, such as assembly-line routine, music has a beneficial effect. Whether or not it helps you in studying is a complex question. If you play your radio, you cannot ignore announcements, the news, and the associations that certain types of music create. Your attention will drift. If you are reading this book because you have had trouble, some of the trouble you had may be due to supposing music helps you study. Since you can control this factor, is it not reasonable to experiment with removal of a possible interference?
D. Distractions: This important topic is given special treatment later (page 47).
