Depth of Processing
60 Minutes
- More effort
Deeper processing Memory lasts longer Better learning - Half of the people doing this activity were asked to determine if the words shown were UPPER or lower case words. To do this task, they only had to look at the letters themselves.
- The other half of the people doing this activity were asked to determine if the words brought up pleasant or unpleasant feelings for them. To do this task, they had to read the word, understand it and then consider what feelings this word brings up for them. We asked this group to process the word at a deeper level. This additional effort results in more durable memory and leads to better learning.
- When people study, their memory of what they learn will last longer if they process the material they are trying to learn in deeper ways. So instead of just reading the material, if you do things like: ask questions about what you have learned, answer questions on the material, create a story or drawing, etc; you will learn better.
Deeper processing