Sometimes we have to master new concepts, such as at work or study.
Below are some tips from psychology on how we can maximize our retention of new concepts.
Using conditioning to help learn new concepts
Conditioning involves training oneself to pair a desired stimulus and a response. The technique was first studied by a Russian psychologist named Ivan Pavlov in the 19th century, who paired a bell and a dog’s salivation upon expecting food when the bell was rung. The result of the training was that the dog salivated upon the ringing of the bell even when the food was not there.
In technical terms, conditioning is to pair an unconditioned stimulus (e.g. food) and unconditioned response (e.g. salivation), e.g. ringing of a bell (neutral stimulus) and salivating when food is provided, so that the neutral stimulus (bell ringing) becomes a conditioned stimulus.
Classical conditioning: Every time you get distracted (conditioned stimulus) in middle of the study session, pinch yourself (conditioned response).
Operant conditioning: Reward yourself e.g. with a chocolate, every time you master each new concept, or part of a chapter.
One can also listen to pleasant music during learning the topic, to pair the learning with the pleasantness of the music.
Optimizing working memory to remember new concepts better
The way our memory stores information in the brain is different for words and sounds, and figures. Knowing this, we can learn more by adding different components of memory
While studying, pair visual (seeing the graphs or figures) and phonological (reading the notes or book chapters of the topic) concepts. For example, one can read the concept as text, watch an youtube video about the concept, see some pictures of illustration of how the concept is applied etc.
Using episodic memory
We can also make it an episodic memory to add to the semantic memory of concepts. For example, we can think of a group study session where we were studying the lesson together, and had some argument or some incident that we remember when we were studying. This will engage our episodic memory and help us to master the concept in an easier way.
Using attention
We can use attention and engagement with the concepts we are studying to increase the amount of retention. For example, we can lead the topic in a group study session, or even read it out loud, forcing us to use our attention. We can also engage in deeper discussions about the concept we are learning, for example in a discussion board or discussing with our friends on how to apply what we have learnt. Such strategies engage our brain more and hence enhance our likelihood of retention.
Using emotions
We can also use emotions to add to the retention of the concepts we are studying. For example, we can use the fear of not getting the benefit of the course or enough value from it if we do not learn properly, and the pleasure of mastering the new concepts and what we will gain from it.
Using reappraisals
We can use reappraisals to reflect on benefits we will get from the study in our career or in helping do our work better.
Using cognitive therapy
We can also use cognitive techniques like Cognitive behavior therapy or CBT to make sure we learn better. This can involve noticing what kind of thoughts we get that demotivate us from learning, and then writing them down and analyzing the validity of such thoughts. For example, we may have demotivating thoughts such as we will never be able to master the new topics. But in the past we have been quite successful in learning new concepts and topics, so given the evidence there is no reason why we would not be able to master it now if we put our effort.
Conclusion
To conclude, psychology has several techniques which we can use to maximize our retention of information. In this article we discussed a few of such techniques to improve our memory.
