Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

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Use arrows, diagrams, outlines, tables, timelines, charts, and other 
visuals to help you understand and later recall what you are read-
ing. 
If three examples are given for a specifi c point, number them. If a 
sequence of steps is presented, number each step. If a paragraph dis-
cusses a situation in which an earlier point does not hold, link the 
original point to the exception by an arrow. Representing the material 
graphically will get you thinking about it in new and diff erent ways. 
The act of creating visual annotations will not only help you to under-
stand the material better, but will also ease its later recall.
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Look up unfamiliar words.
Even though you may be able to fi gure 
out the meaning of an unfamiliar word from its context, look up un-
familiar words in a dictionary or online. You’ll also fi nd out what the 
word sounds like, which will be important if your instructor uses the 
word in class.
Take Good Notes in Class
Perhaps you know students who manage to write down nearly every-
thing their instructors say in class. And perhaps you have thought to 
yourself, “If only I took such painstaking notes, I’d do much better in my 
classes.” Contrary to what many students think, however, good notetaking 
does not mean writing down every word that an instructor utters. With 
notetaking, less is often more. Let’s consider some of the basic principles 
of notetaking:
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Identify the instructor’s—and your—goals for the course.
On the 
fi rst day of class, most instructors talk about their objectives for the 
course. Most review the information on the class syllabus, the writ-
ten document that explains the assignments for the semester. The 
information you get during that fi rst session and through the sylla-
bus is critical. In addition to the instructor’s goals, you should have 
your own. What is it you want to learn from the course? How will 
the information from the course help you to enhance your knowl-
edge, improve yourself as a person, achieve your goals?
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