Milgram replication on Discovery Sunday night

This week in class, we discussed Stanley Milgram’s obedience to authority experiments and saw the original film, Obedience, that he produced. Sunday night at 9pm EST on Discovery, there will be a show on people’s capacity for evil, which will have a Milgram experiment replication. The Advances in the History of Psychology blog mentioned it and gives details here.

Evidence-based tips for studying

Just in time for our third exam, the Wall Street Journal summarizes some research on studying for best test performance. here are some of the tips:

  • testing yourself repeatedly before an exam teaches the brain to retrieve and apply knowledge from memory
  • Review the toughest material right before going to bed the night before the test
  • A common study habit—the all-nighter—is a bad idea
  • High-carb, high-fiber, slow-digesting foods like oatmeal are best for breakfast the day of the test
  • Information reviewed amid distractions is less likely to be recalled later

Regarding anxiety about the exam:

  • One calming tactic that has been shown to improve scores is to teach yourself in advance to think differently about the test—using visualization techniques
  • reducing “novelty and stress on the day of the exam” can prevent choking under pressure
  • If you are still feeling anxious, set aside 10 minutes beforehand to write down your worries

See the full article here.