All-night
revision sessions are not the best approach to exams, says research
There is bad news for anyone relying on last-minute exam
cramming, as psychologists publish research showing that learning is much more
effective when spaced out over stretches of time.
The study from Sheffield University
It showed
leaving a day between practice sessions was a much better way of gaining skills
than continuous play.
Researcher Tom
Stafford says this reflects how memories are stored.
Prof Stafford,
a psychologist from the University
of Sheffield
Day break
He found a clear pattern showing that people were more
successful when gaps were left between sessions of playing.
Leaving a day
between sessions did not weaken performance, but strengthened it, says Prof
Stafford.
This is because
it makes better use of how the brain stores information, he says.
