Science AMA series: Hi, I’m Amy Smith, graduate student at Tufts University. I study stress and memory, and recently published a paper in Science showing that taking practice tests leads to better memory recall, especially under stress, than traditional “studying.” Since it’s almost exam time, AMA!

See the source article by following the link below:

Hi Reddit,

I’m Amy Smith, and I work in Tufts’ Cognitive Aging and Memory Lab with my advisor, Ayanna Thomas. We recently published a paper in Science showing that retrieval practice, a strategy where a person takes practice tests to learn material, can protect memory against the negative effects of stress. The traditional studying strategy of re-reading material over and over doesn’t have the same benefits.

As you prepare for your exams or any other high-stakes situation where you need to have good memory, our findings suggest that it’s more important to focus on how you study, not how much you study.

You can read the paper here: http://ift.tt/2gtWYls And a write up (and short video) of our study here: http://ift.tt/2fEaIrD

I will be back at 12 pm EDT to answer your questions, Ask me anything!

">Science AMA series: Hi, I’m Amy Smith, graduate student at Tufts University. I study stress and memory, and recently published a paper in Science showing that taking practice tests leads to better memory recall, especially under stress, than traditional “studying.” Since it’s almost exam time, AMA!