(Section 1)
Study Habits and Grades: Some
Advice
|
|
Approximate |
Grade Students Expected |
ACTUAL GRADES Entire Class |
181 Students Who |
216 Students Who Missed Lectures and/or Readings |
|
A to A- (4.0--3.4) |
22% |
13% |
23% |
6% |
|
B+ to B- (3.3--2.7) |
45% |
19% |
31% |
12% |
|
C+ to C- (2.3--1.7) |
27% |
23% |
21% |
24% |
|
D+ to D-(1.3--0.7) |
5% |
18% |
16% |
19% |
|
F (0.0) |
1% |
27% |
9% |
39% |
Grade Feedback
The mean grade point for Exam 1(mathematical average) was 1.5 (a C-/D+). The median grade point was 1.7. (a C-). (Note: the "median" represents the middle score in the class.). The grade distribution is shown in Table 1. Also shown are the grade distributions for those students who reported that they a) did all the readings and came to all lectures, and b) missed something (i.e., missed one or more lectures, didn't finish all the readings, or both). As you can see, those students who did everything performed substantially better overall than those students who didn't.
Expected Grade
Two thirds of the class expected to perform in the B to A range, whereas in reality only one third of the class did. Virtually nobody expected to get a D (5%) or F(1%) , whereas 45% actually did!!. These data suggest some substantial overoptimism by a part of the class (in particular, from students who didn't do all the readings or attend all lectures).
Lectures Missed
55% of the class reported coming to all lectures, 24% missed one lecture, 13% missed two, 5% missed three, and 3% missed between half to most of the lectures.Readings Completed.
Only 61% of the class reported completing all four chapters. 18% said they read three chapters, 13% read two, 4% read one, and 4% said they didn't do any readings.
Time Spent on Classwork Outside of Lecture (Note: expected time for a 5 credit class = 10 hours/week, or 22 hours based on the 11 lectures prior to the exam that quarter. 21% of students said they spent 16 or more hours doing classwork beyond our daily lecture period. 32% said between 11 to 16 hours, 27% said 7 to 10 hours, 17% said 3 to 6 hours, and 3% said zero to 2 hours. In short, 47% of the class reported doing less than half of the "expected" outside classwork time.
Final Comments:
These data are correlational. They suggest possibilities, but do not "prove" a cause-effect relation between studying and grades. With that caution in mind, here as some final comments. As Table 1 indicates, doing all the readings and attending all lectures does not guarantee a good grade (that's true in any course; similarly, when learning sports, music or other skills, many hours of practice don't guarantee that a high level of skill will be achieved ). However, there is a clear relationship: Almost 55% of students who "did everything" got A's and B's. Only 18% of students who didn't do everything got A's and Bs, but almost 60% of this group received D's and F's . During this quarter, if you're in the "Did it All" group and still do poorly, I urge you to see me or a TA right away to help pinpoint what might have caused your low grade. If you're in the "Didn't do it all" group," then the first step toward getting a better grade is to keep current with the readings and lectures, complete all of them, and give yourself several days to review and study the material prior to each exam.
Built-in Study Questions
Numbered study questions (we call them "Focus Questions") appear in the textbook margin. The study guide (hard-copy and on-line) repeats these questions and sometimes adds a few additional questions. These questions — along with the key terms (see below) will help you focus in on most of the key material, but they are not exhaustive. Realize that we could have written 60 or 80 directed questions per chapter. The directed questions give you a model for the types of questions that you should be developing yourself for those sections of the book that don’t have a directed question next to them. Most students who use these directed questions report that they are helpful.
Key Terms
Each chapter presents boldfaced key terms (and their accompanying definition, which is italicized) and also presents other important terms and concepts that are italicized for emphasis. You should be familiar with these terms. This does not mean simply memorizing a definition. Rather, you should understand the meaning and/or importance of the term, and any relevant information that the textbook presents about it. Some exam questions may present one of these terms/concepts and simply ask you to identify its proper definition, but other questions will present a little story or scenario and require you to apply these concepts, or will ask you about factual information associated with these key terms. For example, consider the following two sample questions:
Sample Question
#1. Eighty female college students participate in an experiment. Using
random assignment, each student is placed either in a very hot room or
a room of normal temperature. Each student then is given 30 minutes to
solve the same set of math problems. The experimenter then calculates
the number of problems that each student has solved correctly. In this
experiment the independent variable is:
a. the number of participants in the study (80).
b. the temperature of the room (hot or normal)
c. the amount of time each participant has to solve the problems (30 minutes)
d. the number of math problems that each participants solves correctly
Sample Question
#2. In an experiment, the factor manipulated by the experimenter is called
the:
a. confounding variable.
b. dependent variable
c. independent variable
d. empirical variable
Although both types of questions occur on my exams, question #1 assesses
understanding at a deeper level: If all you have done is memorize a definition
of "independent variable" (a boldfaced key term in Chapter 2)
without really understanding what it means, you will have trouble answering
the first type of question.
The Main Portion (the Narrative) of the Text
In addition to key terms your textbook discusses lots of other important information, such as conceptual points, theories (as well as supporting or disconfirming evidence, and criticisms of theories), results of research studies, and other factual information about behavior. You should be looking for the important points throughout. Again, the focus questions in the textbook margins will help you identify many of these important points. As you read, I urge you to UNDERLINE or HIGHLIGHT important information and terms, and after you have finished all the readings go back and actively study and learn the material you've underlined/highlighted.
If you are having difficulty in identifying important concepts or you are uncertain about how specific you have to be, I encourage you to a) use the Focus Questions in the margin of the textbook take a look at a past exam (which will be available starting in Week 3 on the course website), and the Study Guide.
Dates, Names of Researchers, and Names of Cases/Examples
I don't ask questions about historical dates on my tests, and I don't ask about too many names of people either. In each chapter you will find hundreds of names of researchers; many names are mentioned in just a sentence or are presented in parentheses (usually, along with the date of a published research study or book). You don't need to know any of these parenthesized names or briefly-mentioned names or researchers. My only concern is that you know the names of major figures in psychology.
In Chapter 1, for example, the only names of people that I would like you "to know" are Wilhelm Wundt, William James, Sigmund Freud, John Watson, and B. F. Skinner. In Chapter 2 a lot of attention is paid to the work of Darley and Latane, so you should know what they did. Chapter1 also mentions other famous people, but I wouldn't ask you about their names based on Chapter 1 (but I will test your understanding of the various perspectives, e.g., behaviorism, humanism, etc., that these people represent). However, when we get to the particular topic where these psychologists made major contributions, then you should be familiar with their names. For example, when we cover "Learning" in Chapter 6, names such as Pavlov, Thorndike, and Bandura become important.
The textbook presents many major cases and examples to illustrate various points. Some of these receive a lot of attention, for example, the Robbers Cave study and jigsaw groups in Chapter 1, and the Kitty Genovese murder and Hmong sudden death syndrome in Chapter 2. Thus, a test questions might ask about these examples, so these are types of "names" that you do need to know.
Tables and Figures:
1. You should pay attention to Tables and Figures. Many Tables and Figures emphasize or highlight points that are discussed in the text. Example: Table 1.3 ( p. 20) and Figure 1.23. (p. 21) organize and summarize information presented in the main narrative of the text. I would expect you to know this information, much of which you would be learning anyway by carefully studying the main (i.e. narrative) portion of the text anyway.
2. Some Tables & Figures present specific data, usually from research studies, that also are discussed in the main part of the text. I will not ask you about specific percentages or numbers. Rather, use the Table or Figure to reinforce the major point discussed in the text. If it is not discussed in the text, then extract 1 or 2 major points from it. Example 1: Table 1.2 on page 16 emphasizes a point discussed in the text, namely that there is a lot of variability across cultures in whether people believe that being in love with someone is a key prerequisite to marrying that person. Example 2: On page 413 the book describes "separation anxiety" and briefly mentions in one sentence that separation anxiety can be observed in cultures all over the world. This point is made so briefly (a sentence) that I likely would not ask you about it unless it was either discussed in class OR the text also presented a table or figure related to this topic. So, look at Figure 11.22 (p 413). This figure illustrates two main points. First, it indicates that the "rise and fall" of separation anxiety is similar across different cultures (also see the Figure caption). Second, it indicates that separation anxiety typically peaks at about 1 to 1.5 years of age. Example 3: Figure 3.21 (p 91). I certainly don't expect you to memorize the location and order of all the specific areas on the somatosensory cortex and motor cortex, because no attention is given to these individual areas in the text. So what are the major points? Well, as I see it, if you read the caption and look at the figure (these points are also noted in the main narrative of the text) they are: a) each area of the motor/sensory cortex is associated with a specific part of the body, and b) the amount of cortical brain area devoted to each body part is proportional to the sensitivity of each body part's functions, not to the actual size of the body part.
3. Other Figures and Tables present lots of new information that isn't really discussed in the text itself. Look at these Figures and try to extract the major points of each one. Example: Consider Table 3.2 (p. 78). Five of the six major neurotransmitters in this table are discussed in the text in Chapter 3 (on pages 77-79) but one of them, serotonin, isn't. We will cover all six neurotransmitters in class (and I'll add a seventh in class), but suppose we hadn't covered serotonin. In this case, I still might ask a question on serotonin based on its being highlighted in the table.
A Special Note to (Graduating) Seniors: In Case Severe Senioritis Strikes
Many seniors maintain high motivation and good work habits in their final quarter of classes, though some develop a mild case of senioritis. Study habits may regress a tad as they look forward to leaving the hallowed halls of Huskydom. Either way, I hope that you find the course informative and stimulating, and no matter what grade you are striving for, I hope that you accomplish your goal and hit the graduation trail. In a few cases, however, severe senioritis rears its ugly head. Here’s one case.
Several years ago a senior in my spring 101 class came to see me after the last exam. He had failed the course (F’s on all 4 exams) and wanted to know if I would give him a passing grade so that he would graduate, or would at least let him do some extra credit work so that he could graduate. He told me (surprisingly honest, don’t you think) that he rarely came to class, did few of the readings, and — most amazingly — never even bothered to check his exam scores during the quarter because "I figured it was just an intro course, so I just assumed I did well enough on the tests to pass." But, he added, "I have to graduate because I have a job lined up this summer and will be leaving town."
I reminded him of the grading system laid out in the syllabus: I don’t change grades, there is no additional extra credit beyond what is already offered during the quarter, I apply the grading system to all students equally, and if he had bothered to check his scores after each exam he either could have corrected this situation himself (by studying!) or could have come to us during the quarter for assistance in learning the material. The failing grade stood, and whether he finished up in summer school or through distance learning I don’t know. I can only hope that the next time around he at least bothered to check his exam scores throughout the quarter. Please don’t put yourself in the same situation as this student. Check your scores, and please come see us soon if you are having difficulty with the material.
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