Learning and Memory Continue to Improve during Adolescent Years

Learning and Memory Continue to Improve during Adolescent Years
Parents who feel they have to nag their adolescents continually to do their chores may wonder whether teenagers process any information at all. Actually learning, memory and problem solving continue to improve during the adolescent years.

First, new learning and memory strategies emerge; it is only during adolescence that memory strategy of elaboration is mastered. Adolescent also develop and refine advanced learning – for example, note taking and underlining. In one study, researchers looked at the performance of students from the fifth grade age to eleventh and twelfth grade who were asked to recall story. Some learners were asked to recall story immediately; while others were given an additional five minutes to study it before they were tested.

Amazingly, fifth graders gained almost nothing from the extra study period, except for those few who used the time to underline or take notes. Junior high school benefited to an extent, but only in senior high school did most students use underlining and note tasking effectively to improve recall.

When students were told to underline or take notes if they wished, fifth graders still did not improve, largely because they did not use these strategies to highlight the most important points. Many underlined almost everything. Thus strategies for studying readings and then identifying important points improve considerably between elementary school and high school.
Learning and Memory Continue to Improve during Adolescent Years