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Use what psychology teaches you about cognition to improve your study habits. You have been a student for many years, and
no doubt you’ve received advice about how to study and developed your own study habits. Use what psychology teaches you about
cognition to improve your study habits. Studying for the AP Psychology exam is an opportunity for you to modify your study methods
based on the research findings about the effectiveness of different encoding and recall techniques. For example:
• Memory research clearly indicates that “distributed practice” (spacing your studying over a span of days or weeks) is much more
effective than “massed practice” (“cramming” all your studying just before the test).
• Memory techniques like chunking, mnemonic devices, and context cues can dramatically improve your ability to recall sets of terms
and save you hours of studying time.
• The information-processing model predicts that focusing on the meaning, context, and application of psychological ideas will increase
your ability to recall and use psychological ideas.
• Research indicates that students can (and should) take advantage of the “testing effect;” you should interrupt your reading and
studying with frequent small “tests” of your knowledge. Use practice questions at the end of each chapter to test your knowledge.
