Determinants of Efficient Learning

We cannot, of course, he aware of all of the details that attack our senses. There is, it is believed, a filtering process at the entrance to the nervous system that can turn off or at least turn down unwanted signals without rejecting them entirely. In this way, we give attention to certain information by selecting which information is chosen for further processing. The information that we do not give attention to is discarded and lost. The selected information enters our short-term memory. 

Our short-term memory is active, conscious, and temporary. It is capable of holding much less information than our sensory registers but for a slightly longer time. Learning specialists generally agree that the short-term memory can deal with no more than 9 or 10 items at a time. Typically, information in the short-term memory will disappear in 10 to 20 seconds unless it is repeated or rehearsed. A distraction or interference from other information can also cause us to lose information from the short-term memory. 

Everything we know and need to think is stored in the long-term memory, there is no known limit to its capacity. There is reason to believe that long-term memory is divided into several stores of knowledge, some containing verbal information, some visual, and others with information on tastes, sounds, and smells. 

Educational psychologists report (2) that learning efficiency depends on at least three factors  

Studies have also shown that the novelty of the material can affect the learning process. The introduction of some novelty into the learning process is thought to increase attentiveness and learning efficiency. Students should not overlook the value of using new and iimovative approaches to performing their homework assignments. 

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