psychology

Saysfaa · Oct 2, 2010

Do you have a paper giving the course objectives? It should be either with the syllabus given on the first day or with the course description online. That should give a fair amount of detail about what has to be covered in the class.

Go through the book and know every vocabulary word, both the definitions and a general sense of what the words mean and the similarities and differences between them. Also, any person mentioned in the book. For the people: know what country they are from (both their native countries and where they worked and/or published), know which were students of which others, know which theories they are associated with.

You have been studying, so it should be a matter of organizing what you have already learned and filling in some blank spots.

Go through your notes from the first day of class looking for anything the prof said about the tests. If you didn't take notes on that (oops), then assume the test will be essay because if you know the material well enough to do an essay test you will also be ready for any other kind. It is more likely to be a mix of multiple choice, matching, true and false, and a couple of short answer. So, spend an hour or so reviewing test taking strategies.

Get enough sleep, eat right, get enough sleep, study in short sessions and do something really active between the sessions then get back to it. Did I mention get enough sleep?

Good luck

JonB04 · Oct 2, 2010

Lol we dont have notes im reading the books and getting to kbow the people the there are 200 terms to remember in the first 4 chapters i know them but not that well so im reading the chapter to refresh my memory

coast2coast · Oct 2, 2010

psychology is straight memorization. anybody can teach it and anybody can learn it. all it takes is time.

Saysfaa · Oct 3, 2010

What do you mean "we don't have notes"? Didn't you go to class with paper and a pencil?

JonB04 · Oct 3, 2010

lol yes my teacher talks about a few things but mostly everything is irrelevant to his test. he connects psychology to his life. for example getting hit with a flash grenade makes you see black. its human nature to stand still when blinded. but that stuff will not be on the test. see what i mean irrelevant i need to read my textbook

bhanson · Oct 3, 2010

When I took general psychology our tests were not based from lecture either.

If you read the book and actually understand what you're reading then you should be fine. Direct memorization of some abstract concepts or of the notable people may help but a lot of it becomes "common sense" once you understand the concept.

For example, remember the first time you learned the scientific method? If you don't know what it is then it sounds complicated and intimidating but learning it is as simple as literally reading a definition once and you'll know it for life.

A lot of the questions you'll be able to answer from just having read the book. For example if you haven't read the section on classical conditioning when you inevitably see CS, US, and UR you won't have a chance of getting that right. But having been exposed to the concept once you'd have to screw up pretty hard to miss that.

Most professors aren't out to get you and most likely students have taken your exact class before and have done fine. (Actively) Read the book, memorize a few names and you'll be fine.

JonB04 · Oct 3, 2010

yeah at first i was just studying the definition and now im reading the chapter i feel that i know more since i already know what the terms mean.

Blueroses91 · Oct 4, 2010

In addition to reading and defining terms, there should be some Q&A's at the end of each chapter that you can fill out. They should cover the main points of the chapter. It could be helpful to go over those as well.

JonB04 · Oct 4, 2010

Guys i just took the test thanks to you i knew everything!!! Thanks so much guys

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Oct 4, 2010

I feel as though I need to stand up for my educator "tribe" based on the OP's comment that her teacher wasn't teaching...

At the college level, no one should be paying tuition to have someone read the textbook to them... that is essentially what is going on when the instructor is giving a lecture over what is already in the book. Instead, a good teacher helps her/his students develop a deeper understanding of what is in the book. This is frequently done by 'tellling stories' illustrating how various concepts actually apply to real-life situations.

Adult students are responsible for reading and understanding the textbook material. If any of the material needs to be clarified, students should ask them at the beginning of the classroom session or during the instructor's "office hours".