As finals start to terrorize McGill and all its students, we are all eager to look for ways to make studying more efficient. After all, with such little time in between exams, the best way to take on this time of the year is to find the study method that works best for you. While some people are visual learners and others may be kinesthetic or auditory learners, recent studies have shown that one approach for studying tends to work well across the board: contextual memorization.
Dr. David Smith, a professor of psychology at Cornell University, does specialized research on the parts of the brain that involve memory encoding and retrieval. In his studies, he was able to prove that the hippocampus, an area of the brain that controls memory, may be responsible for the development of contextual memory. Without it, his test subjects were less likely to recall odors, while those with functional hippocampi could recall them with much more precision.
So what exactly is contextual memory? Otherwise known as context-dependent memory, it is the stronger ability to recall specific information within the context in which it was first encoded in the brain. For example, if your roommate told you about the new restaurant in town while you were both in the apartment, you might be more likely to remember what the name of the restaurant is while in the apartment than if you were, say, sitting in a lecture hall. Some studies have shown that this occurs because the brain might be compartmentalizing memories based on environmental surroundings, making access to it much more environmentally dependent later.
How can we use this to our advantage? In a study done by H.M. Grant on context-dependent memory, studying was seen to be most effective when the student matched the studying context as closely to the examination context as possible. Here are some examples of how you can keep your studying environment and testing environment consistent:
- Make sure that the room is quiet, like the exam room will be. If listening to music while studying works for you, that’s fine! But if you’re not so sure, try studying in silence in order to imitate the actual testing situation.
- Ensure that you are not hungry while studying or taking the exam. Not only that, but eat well for both! If you stick to junk foods and high-sugar snacks while studying, but revert back to healthy eating habits when you take the exam, your body will be in shock from the change.
- Even little things like the level of caffeine in your body should be kept consistent. If you’re constantly drinking coffee while studying but take the test caffeine-free, you might be distracted by the lack of your usual coffee-induced energy.
Of course, every student is different, and the most important thing is to do what works best for you. But if you’re looking for a new way to shake up your studying habits, give this a shot and take advantage of the way your brain embraces contextual learning. Best of luck with finals!
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