Monday, March 31, 2014
Despite what you think: handwritten notes beat typed notes
Several studies confirm what Luddites have always believed: pencil and paper notes lead to more learning than typed notes. I wonder if this is true even for those with language processing issues. So often I see typed notes as an accommodation on an IEP. Is this a shortsighted solution? How can we support competent note taking?
Friday, February 21, 2014
Cognitive training for working memory
I find working-memory problems to be one of the more coaching-resistant aspects of ADHD. This article about CogMed's cognitive training programs is intriguiging. I love that there are clinical studies with relatively large samples showing a real impact without drugs!
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/02/the-science-behind-brain-training/283634/
Friday, October 25, 2013
Delaying gratification involves the imagination, too!
Some interesting research coming from Europe this month (published in PLoS Biology) suggests that the ability to delay gratification might have quite a bit to do with our ability to imagine the future reward.
It works like this: You want to get started with grading that stack of papers, you really do. But you also want check your facebook page and generally waste some time on the web. Certainly the reward for getting those papers graded is greater than the reward of finding out what your acquaintances ate for lunch...but it's so far in the future. It's too far in the future. And it requires a feat of imagination (and the hippocampus) to fully and richly imagine that distant reward enough that it feels tangible and worth working toward.
This problem is exacerbated when the distant reward we're talking about is for finishing a dissertation or a book. That's months away. Years away. Too far away.
The take home here, as I see it, is that mini-goals are still the way to go: narrow the gap between now and gratification by giving yourself a mini-goal. But, also, try vividly and imaginatively conjuring up that far-distant reward. What will it feel like to be done? What has a similar situation looked like and felt like in the past? Make it real for yourself. This might just make that distant reward feel gratifying enough to get started!
Read a summary of the research from the HuffPost here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/24/delay-gratification-brain-hippocampus_n_4144613.html
It works like this: You want to get started with grading that stack of papers, you really do. But you also want check your facebook page and generally waste some time on the web. Certainly the reward for getting those papers graded is greater than the reward of finding out what your acquaintances ate for lunch...but it's so far in the future. It's too far in the future. And it requires a feat of imagination (and the hippocampus) to fully and richly imagine that distant reward enough that it feels tangible and worth working toward.
This problem is exacerbated when the distant reward we're talking about is for finishing a dissertation or a book. That's months away. Years away. Too far away.
The take home here, as I see it, is that mini-goals are still the way to go: narrow the gap between now and gratification by giving yourself a mini-goal. But, also, try vividly and imaginatively conjuring up that far-distant reward. What will it feel like to be done? What has a similar situation looked like and felt like in the past? Make it real for yourself. This might just make that distant reward feel gratifying enough to get started!
Read a summary of the research from the HuffPost here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/24/delay-gratification-brain-hippocampus_n_4144613.html
[This image is from Keith Beaty of the Toronto Star. It depicts that old executive functioning test for measuring delay of gratification: The Marshmallow Test. It's an oldie but goodie. You can learn some more about this test below -- it's funny!]
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Focus@Will: New app for those who love listening to music while they work
When I work with high school students, there's one disagreement I usually find my self negotiating between parents and teens: Is it "good" to listen to music while studying? Parents say "no" -- teen says "yes."
There are two pieces to my answer.
(1) This is a losing battle for parents because many students truly believe they work best while listening to music & there is little we can tell them to change their minds. Besides, short of policing their study time, how would we make them stop?
(2) Listening to all types of music during every sort of study session is NOT bad for memory. There's some good (and intuitive) research to show that listening to novel, message-heavy music while reading or working hard to understand new material isn't good for retention. But listening to old, easy to tune out, mostly instrumental music while studying kind of boring material could be just the ticket for maintaining focus.
In these circumstances, I work with students to help them think about what kinds of music will help them under what circumstances -- and under what circumstances they'll be doing themselves a favor by creating silence.
Many of my graduate student and academic clients have found that they do their best work in coffee shops and there's even a site (which I reviewed here) dedicated to helping you recreate that perfect coffee shop sound environment.
Now there's a new app called Focus@Will (free trial & then $4/month) that streams music that claims to enhance one's ability to focus on tasks. It's a steep price tag, in my opinion, but I tried a few 60-minute sessions & it did seem to help! It also makes a handy timer for those of you working in short-bursts (a la the Pomodoro Technique). From what I experienced, Focus@Will streams mostly classical music, so it may not appeal to everyone. But it may hit the sweet spot for those who don't like working in total silence, but don't want to take the time to find the "right" sort of music to help them stay at work.
There are two pieces to my answer.
(1) This is a losing battle for parents because many students truly believe they work best while listening to music & there is little we can tell them to change their minds. Besides, short of policing their study time, how would we make them stop?
(2) Listening to all types of music during every sort of study session is NOT bad for memory. There's some good (and intuitive) research to show that listening to novel, message-heavy music while reading or working hard to understand new material isn't good for retention. But listening to old, easy to tune out, mostly instrumental music while studying kind of boring material could be just the ticket for maintaining focus.
In these circumstances, I work with students to help them think about what kinds of music will help them under what circumstances -- and under what circumstances they'll be doing themselves a favor by creating silence.
Many of my graduate student and academic clients have found that they do their best work in coffee shops and there's even a site (which I reviewed here) dedicated to helping you recreate that perfect coffee shop sound environment.
Now there's a new app called Focus@Will (free trial & then $4/month) that streams music that claims to enhance one's ability to focus on tasks. It's a steep price tag, in my opinion, but I tried a few 60-minute sessions & it did seem to help! It also makes a handy timer for those of you working in short-bursts (a la the Pomodoro Technique). From what I experienced, Focus@Will streams mostly classical music, so it may not appeal to everyone. But it may hit the sweet spot for those who don't like working in total silence, but don't want to take the time to find the "right" sort of music to help them stay at work.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
10 research-based tips for studying smarter
The British Psychology Society lists 10 research-based tips for studying smarter, including testing yourself as part of studying (which I'm always going on about with my clients) & getting the lecture notes before the lecture when possible. There are lots of other good ones listed.The best part: you can sign up for a "fortnightly email"-- ah British English. I love it!
Procrastination: The science behind why we do it and how to stop!
It's all about temporal discounting: Imminent rewards seem way more valuable to the primitive reward centers in our brains. The solution: reward yourself in small intervals & set deadlines. You wouldn't make your puppy wait until the end of the training session to get his treat, and you shouldn't make yourself wait either.
This video has some other great tips, too!
This video has some other great tips, too!
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Cookie Monster with an important message about self-control
Having trouble turning off Orange is the New Black and getting back to editing that lit review? Cookie monster has a catchy message for you! (Just try not to get this stuck in your head.)
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