Cognitive Science

Getting into academic culture xi --
The Ascertain model xi --
Part 1 Becoming an Active Learner 1 --
1 Routes to Learning 3 --
Learning is a journey 4 --
Finding your way around the subject landscape 5 --
The student as independent learner 6 --
Taking responsibility for your own learning 6 --
Approaches to learning 7 --
Deep-holistic and surface-atomistic learners 8 --
Choosing the approach and the strategy to suit the circumstances 10 --
Organisational strategies and attitude in the study process 11 --
Operating strategically 12 --
Striking a balance 13 --
Issues of confidence 14 --
Uncharted territory 15 --
Solution to Task 1.1 16 --
2 Learning to Remember 17 --
The art of memory 18 --
Memory and technology 19 --
The mind is a container 20 --
Routes to remembering 20 --
Visual impact 21 --
Creating visual impact 21 --
The mind map 21 --
Association by images 22 --
Sound links 24 --
The emotions 24 --
Cultivating episodic memory 25 --
Where were you when ...? 25 --
Primacy and recency effects 26 --
Being systematic 27 --
System and short-term memory 28 --
Risking mistakes 29 --
Further practice 30 --
3 Managing your Time 32 --
Thinking about time 33 --
Time and study strategies 34 --
Saving time or wasting time 35 --
Net time 36 --
Pacing yourself 37 --
Planning when to do your studies 38 --
Prioritising task and time 41 --
Burning the midnight oil 42 --
Getting to the degree stage 42 --
Part 2 Academic Tasks and Contexts 45 --
4 Managing your Assignments 47 --
Assignment types 48 --
Planning and preparation 49 --
Consulting departmental guidelines 49 --
Purpose 49 --
Assessment weighting 49 --
Constructing a bibliography 50 --
Following up feedback 51 --
Your use of the library 52 --
Thinking ahead 53 --
Working together 54 --
Making the most of making notes 54 --
Copying down or integrating into your thinking? 56 --
Disciplining yourself to make notes from recall 57 --
Note-making processes 58 --
Dividing the page 58 --
The spider diagram 58 --
Maintaining a filing system 59 --
Integrating writing, reading and note-making in managing written assignments 60 --
The reinforcement principle 61 --
5 Getting to Grips with the Essay 63 --
Getting to grips with essay titles 64 --
Assessment criteria 68 --
Structure 70 --
Clarity 72 --
Evidence of reading 74 --
Coherence 75 --
Presentation 77 --
Addressing your reader 78 --
6 Making the Most of Reading 80 --
Reading strategies 80 --
Research reading for writing or speaking 84 --
Reading faster 85 --
Reading, time and efficiency 86 --
Reading critically 87 --
7 Making the Most of Seminars and Seminar Presentations 89 --
Speaking up in seminars 90 --
Giving a seminar presentation 91 --
What is the purpose of seminar presentations? 91 --
Preparation beforehand 93 --
The live performance 94 --
Handling questions after the presentation 95 --
Seminar presentations as transferable skills 96 --
8 Getting to Grips with Examinations 97 --
Preparing for examinations 98 --
Predicting what will come up 98 --
The examination game 100 --
Using past papers 103 --
Revision strategies 104 --
Revising selectively 104 --
Writing up an examination question 105 --
Revision as an ongoing strategy 106 --
Before you get to the exam room 108 --
In the exam room 108 --
Reducing exam stress 109 --
Countering negative self-reports 109 --
Part 3 Minding Your Language 111 --
9 Finding your Academic Voice 112 --
Shifting contexts 112 --
Language use in the study context 113 --
Language use in the academic context 113 --
Speaking the language of your discipline or disciplines 114 --
Structuring your thinking to suit the needs of your academic assignments 115 --
'Speaking' the right language in your assignments 116 --
Finding your own writing voice 117 --
Getting the right word for the right context 118 --
Collocations 119 --
Confusing academic voices 122 --
To use, or not to use 'I' in academic writing: what is the difference? 123 --
Your voice and the voice of authority 124 --
In your own words --
The problem of plagiarism 126 --
Solutions 128 --
10 Disciplining Your Language: Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar 130 --
Disciplining your spelling 131 --
Spelling or meaning 133 --
Putting the apostrophe in the right place 135 --
Spelling out some problem areas 136 --
Putting commas and full stops in the right places 137 --
Getting to grips with grammar 138 --
Problem sentences 139 --
Being clear about what you're referring to 139 --
Integrating your own grammar into that of a citation 140 --
The effects of disjointed grammar 141 --
Working together 142 --
Task solutions 143 --
Part 4 Moving on After University 145 --
11 Putting Yourself on the Job Market 146 --
Transferable skills 146 --
Preparing for work after the degree 147 --
The job application process 148 --
Answering application form questions 149 --
Preparing your CV 149 --
Thinking of your experience in terms of skills gained 152 --
The covering letter 152 --
The covering letter as opportunity 153 --
The Interview 155 --
Anticipating questions 156 --
Overcoming nervousness 156 --
In the interview 157 --
Bon voyage! 157.