Katie Caramanica PSYCH100 Module 1 Success in Intro to PSYCH What are the ABCs of psychology Psychology is the scientific study of Affect feelings Behavior and Cognition mental processes such as thoughts How would you summarize psychology as a discipline Psychology is a broad discipline because it is a tremendously varied field spanning subject matter from biology to sociology What are the most common subfields and what kinds of jobs do those psychologists do Clinical psychologist assess and treat emotional mental and behavioral disorders Cognitive study perception thinking and memory Counseling help people to recognize their strengths and resources to be able to cope with everyday problems and challenges Developmental studies the development of a human throughout the lifespan Engineering research how people work best with machines Experimental study human and non human animals to understand and respond to what s happening in the environment Industrial Organizational apply psychological principles to the workplace Neuropsychologist explore the relationships between the brain and behavior how thought and behavior an be explained by the activity in the brain Social interested in how interpersonal relationships and interactions with other people shape behavior School assess and counsel students consult with parents and staff and provide behavioral interventions when necessary Is my grade in a course just a reflection of how intelligent I am as a person Hard work and well placed effort makes you more intelligent and knowing that can improve your grade What is the difference between fixed and growth mindsets Fixed mindset students who think their level of intelligence remains consistent over their lifetime Growth mindset students who think they can always develop new abilities with practice How did Dweck demonstrate that changing our mindsets can change our performance About 100 seventh graders all doing poorly in math were randomly assigned to workshops on good study skills One workshop gave lessons on how to study well The other taught about the expanding nature of intelligence and the brain The students in the latter group learned that the brain actually forms new connections every time you learn something new and that over time this makes you smarter Basically the students were given a mini neuroscience course on how the brain works By the end of the semester the group of kids who had been taught that the brain can grow smarter had significantly better math grades than the other group Do I really have a learning style that determines whether or not I can successfully learn in a course Learning styles have not been proven to have an impact on success or failure in a course So far the research suggests that if learning styles are limiting learning at all is it because we believe we are not capable of learning in certain ways What does studying smart involve To truly learn and perform well in a course you need to practice regularly the same way that you would practice a sport or anything else you want to be good at It s not about studying for many hours at a time it s about studying smart Practice demonstrating your learning a little bit every day and you will have no problem Why is distributed practice more effective than studying a lot for a test Distributed studying is more effective than just studying a lot because you are training your brain to hold and use information Which common studying techniques were found to be the least effective for students Rereading and highlighting are the least effective studying techniques for students Why does being tested help me learn What is the research evidence that supports the Testing Effect How should this influence how I study Being tested on the information you learn actually helps you remember it for much longer Roediger Karpicke had college students study a passage of text All students were given 7 minutes to study the passage and then were randomly assigned into two groups One group was given another 7 minutes to continue studying and the other group was given a test on what they had read The final test of what students had learned took place after either 5 minutes 2 days or 1 week The students were also asked how confident they were that they remembered what they had learned Students who were given the extra time to study more were more confident and did a little bit better when the final test was 5 minutes later However the students who took a practice test instead did much better on a test that was 2 days or a week later How can UMD students get some coaching on how to study LESS and get MORE from that time Schedule an appointment with an academic counselor to help improve study skills What can I do to help my brain help me Get enough sleep focus on nutrition and exercise What is the relationship between sleep and learning it is clear that lack of sleep causes a whole range of cognitive problems suggesting it fulfills an important role in maintaining the mind and brain at their peak How does what you eat influence what you learn Eating proper nutrients fuels the body and allows it to perform a wide range of complex functions Why would a moderate amount of exercise improve academic performance A moderate amount of exercise strengthens the heart reduces blood pressure and even lifts mood Ultimately this can sharpen the mind which does better with a healthy brain and positive outlook In the short term any activity that boosts oxygen intake will immediately affect mental performance for the better so as long as it is not too distracting any light exercise should help you learn while you take part What are the three causes of test anxiety Fear of failure Lack of preparation Poor test history What are the three categories of test anxiety symptoms Physical symptoms Emotional symptoms Behavioral Cognitive symptoms What are some of the best strategies for reducing test anxiety Be prepared Develop good test taking skills Maintain a positive attitude Stay focused Practice relaxation techniques Stay healthy Visit the counseling center What have psychologists discovered as some of the other benefits of using these strategies A group administered test anxiety reduction intervention was presented to 325 youths between the ages of eight and 17 years old who experienced elevated test anxiety The intervention through which the learners were taught behavioral strategies such as relaxation techniques was conducted as part of each school s counseling
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