Study strategies for transforming short-term memory into long-term retention

Memory is like a muscle that needs to be exercised and used regularly. Practice and repetition may seem tedious, but are often the best methods by which to retain material that is learned and commit that material into working memory or even into the type of long-term memory required for genuine learning to take place.

Note-taking and study strategies can help transform information initially stored in short-term memory into working or long-term memory. The strategy used depends on the type of material. For some classes, chunking data can help recode large amounts of data into stacks (p. 277). Rote rehearsal can be particularly helpful in some situations, such as learning a language and needing to repeat a word or phrase over and over again in order to commit it to long-term memory. However, the text points out that it is far more fruitful to use elaborative processing, which helps the brain form connections between the word or item, and its core meaning (p. 278).

Studying soon before a test can be helpful because the shorter the delay between the last study session to the time of the exam, the better the memory will be (p. 289). This is true as long as the student has studied the material already, rather than relying on a "cramming" method in which the entire course is jammed into one brief study session (p. 289). In the same way, spacing out practices or study sessions is a superior study method to using one large "massed practice" session (p. 302).

Encoding failure is important to understand, because it can create a cognitive shift in personal study habits. Rather than simply reading the material passively, the student should actively reflect and commit the material to memory. This is called "elaborative processing," (p. 291). Memories are not formed through passive reading. Another helpful tip is more obvious in nature, which is to eliminate distractions. Studying while doing other things, such as watching television or texting a friend, increases the likelihood of an encoding failure due to the divided attention (p. 290). Likewise, it is important to study soon before the test because of the problem of interference. If a student studies for a 3PM exam at 8AM, all the events that occur between 8AM and 3PM will interfere with that study session and potentially disrupt the memory. It would be best to review material again at 2:45, immediately before the exam. People strong in eidetic imagery can take visual "snapshots" of the material, either in his or her own notes or from the textbook itself.

Taking notes is helpful because it enhances the features of elaborative processing. Writing information down, and then rehearsing or re-reading that information at a later date, is a form of elaborative processing that can greatly help with memorizing information and transforming that information to actual learning. While reviewing notes, the student can realize connections to yesterday's or last week's material, or even material in other courses. This might prompt the student to write notes in the margins or any other tool to help solidify the cognitive connections made after elaborative processing of the material. Another reason note taking is helpful for studying is the concept of selection, or netting. By filtering out what is important from what is not important, the student has a better chance of retaining the important items. It can also be helpful to divide large blocks of information, such as an entire section of a textbook, into smaller chunks (p. 301).