Part of the introduction to psychology is learning the core facts and theories of the field. As college students, you re well prepared to do that you ve been learning things for many years. Nonetheless, I have some tips drawn from my background as a cognitive psychologist. Rote memorization is not effective for any but the simplest of materials. Don t simply try to memorize the book or your lecture notes.
Organization is a powerful aid to memory.
Any structure you can impose on the material is better than trying to learn disconnected facts. This brings me to the next point Active processing on the part of the learner is essential. Generating and answering your own questions has been shown to improve exam performance. Multiple small study sessions spaced out over a period of time are more effective than a single, massive study session. Utilize my office hours if you have questions that I cannot answer in class.