http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/2009/11/whats_the_best_way_to_take_a_s.php?utm_source=networkbanner&utm_medium=link
This article is by two students of the University of Chicago which is an extremely prestigious college. They explain how studying is the core part of their experience there and say they didn't have "parties" but had "study breaks". They questioned and wondered about what the most effective study break would be to clear up your mind and refocus the mind between study sessions.
They introduce an idea called "attention restoration theory" or ART which waas also discussed similarly in Willaim James's 1892 psychology textbook. It calims that walking in the woods can help you refocus your thoughts and it is the natural world and interacting with nature that engages your attention in a bottom- up fashion, bu features of the environment that are appealing. The artificial world demands active attention, similar to the energy we require for studying, in order to prevent getting hurt or just getting through daily activities. Marc Berman, John Jonides and Stephen Kaplan wanted to attempt measuring the effect of ART.
They paid 28 student volunteers to do a backwards digit-span task and after 14 tests were elected to take an hour long walk to see if their scores would improve the second time around. The nature walkers' scores rose to significance and city walkers rose only a little bit, displaying the effectiveness of being exposed to nature to refocus attention. Since University of Chicago is restricted from nature, Gary Felsten decided to put murals on emply windowless lounges of natural scenes. 200 students who rated the lounges for various qualities thought by the ART to be "restorative", giving a sense of "being away", "fascination", and comfort and ease therefore being successful.
It makes sense that images can be just as likely to help refocus the mind due to our knowledge in psychology. While these students could not find a natural environment to break in due to the location in such a huge city, the images/murals were just as effective. Visually stimulating images have always been able to change our mindsets and have power over our psychology. I think about the color yellow and how it is tied to memory, so post its, highlighters and other study objects are commonly of the yellow color. Studies like this help me appreciate the study of psychology because there is much to be learned about improving our lives in many different aspects from the knowledge we have of psychology. I also believe that while the visuals can be restorative and calming, actually being out in nature directly is more effective.
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This whole theory does make sense. It seems that getting air and giving your mind a break will refresh you and allow you to think better and more clearly. Also I have learned in past psych courses that the best study method is to go hard studying for 15 minutes and then off again for 15 minutes to eliminate the middle area of studying because people remember the beginning and end of things the most. If you can take frequent breaks and eliminate the middle studying becomes more effective. Good article.
ReplyDeleteWow, cool article. This is common sense. Not only in psychology courses but what your mother recommended. Take a break and refocused as your mind will be refreshed and ready to learn. You have good points here we are visual beings. I can see how the color yellow can stimulate the mind. Serenity is the corporate of our visuals. Nature is usually compared to serenity, a place where the mind can come to terms.
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