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Memory and Concentration

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Memory and Concentration Adjust the Focus: Sharpen Your Attention Counseling & Disability Services Part of the Mendenhall Achievement Center You Can’t Have one Without the Other! • Attention • Concentration • Memory What is Your Attention Span? • The length of time you can focus before you become bored/over-loaded – Varies from person-to-person – Varies with type of activity Concentration • Ability to focus the attention on a single thought, subject or object while ignoring distractions • A state of sustained focus • Keeps you on track towards your goals • One of the most important skills a student needs How long can you concentrate? 10 minutes? 30 minutes? 2 hours? Concentration peak Initial Concentration distractions break The Relationship Between Attention and Memory • Many memory complaints have nothing to do with memory! • The problem is a failure to attend to the information in the first place. What is short-term memory? • Stores limited information for a limited amount of time • Storing capacity – five (5) to nine (9) ideas • CHUNKING (grouping ideas) can increase storage capacity • Stores information according to sensory images • Must be kept alive through maintenance rehearsal (mentally repeating information to be recalled) What is long-term memory? • Stores unlimited information for unlimited amount of time • Stores many types of information – facts, events, beliefs, etc. • Stores information according to meaning • Elaborative rehearsal (associate new information with prior learning) necessary for encoding • Must use CUES to recall information How to Reclaim Your Attention Span 1) Admit your problem. 2) Unplug. 3) Practice concentrating despite distractions. How to Reclaim Your Attention Span, Continued 4) Do not double task. 5) Build up your mental endurance. 6) Make your learning active. Concentration Exercises • counting words • count backwards 100 to 1 • count backwards from 100 to 1, skipping 3 numbers (100, 97, 94) • choose and inspiring word and repeat it for 5 minutes • examine and describe a fruit • visualize a fruit Pillars of Brain Health and Maintenance • Balanced diet • Physical exercise • Cognitive stimulation • Stress management • Practice positive, future-oriented thinking • Social engagement • Meditation How to Improve Memory • Pay attention and concentrate • Relate • Repeat • Elaborate Four Steps for Memorization: • Organize it. Organized information is easier to find. • Use your body. Learning is an active process; get your senses involved. • Use your brain. Work with your memory; not against it. • Recall it. This is easier when you use the other principles to store information. Organize It 1. Categorize from the general to the specific. 2. Make it meaningful. 3. Create associations. Use Your Body 1. Learn it actively. 2. Relax. 3. Create pictures. 4. Recite and repeat. 5. Write it down. Use Your Brain 1. Reduce interference 4. Distribute learning 2. Over-learn 5. Check your attitude 3. Escape the short-term 6. Choose what not to memory trap store in memory The 4 Rs • Recitation – Repeat the concept, idea, word, etc. over and over. • Rehearsal – Relate the concept or idea or word to: • Some other concept or idea you already know • A picture • Parts within the whole-analyze the concept and see how it all fits together. Source: Shepherd, James. (1994). College Study Skills. 5th ed. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. The 4 Rs • Retrieve – Have a clue or an association that will help you recall the concept. • Review – Review your notes and other material. The sooner you review it after class, the easier it is to remember. Source: Shepherd, James. (1994). College Study Skills. 5th ed. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. Each time you study, use your body to help you concentrate. • Choose or create a study environment. • Study according to your biorhythms: Schedule your most difficult subjects when you are at peak mental efficiency (after 9 pm? early morning?). • Complete easier tasks, like compiling a bibliography at the library, when you are mentally at low efficiency. • Respect your concentration span. Know your learning style • Visual learner • Auditory learner • Kinesthetic learner Visual learner Visual learners are those who learn through seeing things. • A visual learner: √ Needs quiet study time. √ Understands/likes charts. √ Looks for pictures and diagrams. √ Remembers faces. Auditory learner Auditory learners are those who learn best through hearing things. • An auditory learner: √ Likes to read to self out loud. √ Remembers names well. √ Follows spoken directions well. √ Does well in lectures and class discussions. Kinesthetic learner Kinesthetic learners are those who learn through experiencing/doing things. • A kinesthetic learner: √ Can’t sit still for long. √ Prefers role playing. √ Builds models or enjoys art projects. √ Does well when given opportunity to do something themselves. Study tips for the visual learner • Draw a map of events in history or draw scientific process. • Make outlines in your own words. • Copy what’s on the board. – Take notes, make lists. • Color code words and phrases. • Use highlighters, circle words, underline. • Make flashcards. Study tips for the auditory learner • Use word association to remember facts and lines. • Record lectures and then listen to them. • Participate in group discussions. • Use audio-recording for language practice. • Study out loud. • Make a chant to help you remember important information. Study tips for the kinesthetic learner • Keep yourself active! • Shift your activity level to something else when distracted. – When studying take short breaks to keep you on track. • Take lab classes to enhance hands-on learning. • Study with others. • Devise an activity for review (ex: for vocabulary, make a matching game). • Use the CD if the text book comes with one. Source: www.about.com Want more information? Call Counseling and Disability Services (713) 525-2169 or 6953 www.stthom.edu/counseling .
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