|
Poor study habits involve both internal and external conditions. Internally, your sense of how to manage your time or how to bear down and concentrate may be poorly defined and difficult to put into action. This results in an unnecessary drain on your energy and emotions. Often projects or tests are left to the last minute which results in a traumatic, self-punishing experience. The external factors of poor study habits have to do with the physical location of your study area and your association with it. Often there are external distractions to deal with such as a loud stereo, radio, television, animals, spouse, etc. POOR MEMORY Many of us fall into this category in which we have difficulty retaining and recalling information that we have just studied. We all have three types of memory, which seem to represent three separate “compartments” in our brains. The first of these, sensory memory, involves remembering the way something looks, smells, or feels. The second is motor-skill memory, which involves remembering how to perform a physical activity—skiing, riding a bike, diving, or dancing. The third type includes words, ideas, and concepts. It consists of everything you have ever thought, heard, or read. The first two memory types are far more retentive than the type that deals with words, ideas, or concepts—which is , of course, the one which plays the most vital role in academic learning. ABSENCE OF REWARD It is difficult to think of doing anything voluntarily without anticipating some kind of reward, however miniscule. If it seems like nothing will be gained from learning, the task is made more difficult. MEDICINE AND DRUGS A lengthy list of prescriptive drugs can inhibit your ability to learn. The best ways to determine if medication is contributing to your specific learning problem are to discuss the question with the prescribing physician or ask your pharmacist to give you any available printed literature from the manufacturer of the prescription. FEAR Fear is an invisible but powerful force, which can, if is extreme, seem to erase volumes of material that your thought you had successfully committed to memory. |