Spring break is over and there are no holidays off between now and finals. Things are about to get serious.
All that is left is a long slog of classes, studying and projects until summer, and it can be a little overwhelming. Research has explored different techniques that have an effect on increasing alertness levels and retaining information, and though some of them work, others don’t.
Some students might think the best way to get through this period is the use of “study aids” obtained through a prescription from the student health center. I recognize that some people genuinely struggle with certain chemical imbalances that require medication to alleviate but most people who use drugs like Adderall without a prescription don’t actually need it to do well on exams.
Although most people think supplementing their study sessions with a liberal dose of Adderall will help take them to the next level, for people without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder it works more as a placebo, meaning you simply think you’re doing better than you really are, according to a study done at the University of Pennsylvania.
Another study from the University of Wisconsin claims, depending on the dosage, ADHD medicine can actually negatively affect the ability to concentrate on tasks. Worse still, at incorrect dosages, the subjects of that study kept repeating the same mistakes over and over. More important than laser-like focus on random tasks is the ability to retain the information you are trying to study, since an hour-long study session can be much more effective than an all-nighter if you don’t process anything you are reading.
Psychologists have been interested in increasing memory retention, and research suggests there are other less questionable ways to enhance memory retention. Even though there isn’t a guarantee any extra thing (besides studying) you do will ensure your desired grades, it’s something to think about while you assess and plan how you will study for finals and beyond.
A study done by the University at Buffalo suggests stress, which isn’t going to be in short supply, helps with memory retention, but only if it is short term and acute. Feeling stressed every day for a long period of time doesn’t seem to have this affect. So if you’re anxiety prone try to stay positive and relax.
Several studies on the effects of gum chewing on focus have also been done. Participants of the studies chewed gum while reviewing a list and recalling the information. The general consensus is information retention is only slightly enhanced if the participants chew gum.
Similar results have been found in studies involving the smell of mint. Gum chewing and the smell of mint both seem to increase alertness levels and decrease stress levels, so chewing mint-flavored gum could be beneficial to help focus while studying.
There is also, of course, the well-known things that benefit memory retention. Getting a good night’s rest, not multitasking while studying and having multiple review sessions all have shown a positive effect on memory retention and focus in repeated studies. Trying to recall an answer repeatedly from memory instead of only passively reading from the paper is also a memory booster, which is probably part of the reason why we have to take exams and write papers in the first place.
These are just some things to keep in mind if you are anticipating a particularly hellish end of the semester crunch. Even though there’s no real guarantee they’ll boost your grade, the effects of placebos have been well documented in various research. So maybe you’ll psych yourself into doing well anyway. Simply putting in a sufficient amount of time into studying, rather than trying to take any procrastination-induced short cuts, will probably improve the odds that you’ll succeed in getting whatever grade you want.