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Articles
By Dr. B. S. Sujendra Prakash, Ph.D., Consultant Psychologist, SCAPE
Subliminal Programming + Is Stress Necessary for Survival + The Complexity of Educational Development + Whose Life is it Anyway? + Study Involvement among College Students + Enhancing Learning Abilities + The Regulation of Consciousness in Information Processing
Is Stress Necessary for Survival?
As human beings our needs are quite unlimited. The greater we try to fulfill our existing needs the greater the arousal of a number of new needs. Initially, for instance, we may eat to satisfy our hunger. But gradually, we want to choose what we eat. Further, we want specific dishes prepared in an exact manner. We devise our own rules and regulations as to how we should eat. We need a dining table; serving tray; vessels, spoons, and scores of other things. At first we try to fulfill a basic need. But later we would want to satisfy our social and aesthetic needs. Thus, there is no end to what we want.
However, it is not easy to fulfill all our needs. As we live in a society it becomes all the more difficult to satisfy our needs. Hence, the greater the number of needs or the greater the complexity of a need the greater will be the difficulty in reaching the goals.
This difficulty results sometimes in not being able to choose an appropriate goal or when the goal is chosen sometimes in not being able to reach the goal. Thus, the greater the difficulty in achieving the goals the greater the amount of stress experienced by the individual.
The question arises now as to whether such stress is necessary for our survival. It is not easy to say yes or no because our answer depends upon the nature of our survival. If we live in a very sedate environment, not bothering about either to increase our needs or to change our pattern of living, we experience a minimum amount of stress. On the other hand, a harsher, more competitive, and dynamic environment places us in a position where stress becomes an integral part of our living. Thus, the greater the competitive and dynamic nature of our environment, the greater is the stress.
It also depends upon our own personality. Some of us prefer to go slow. Others want to move faster. The latter naturally face a greater amount of stress. Thus the greater our Inclination to proceed at a faster pace the greater the stress. Hans Selye, a Canadian scientist who put forth the concept of Physiological Stress, classifies people into two categories -- the 'turtles' who go slow and lead a sedate life and the 'racehorses' who survive on a very fast changing environment. Naturally, the latter are under more stress.
Do we need stress in order to survive? Who are better -- the turtles or the racehorses? According to Selye, stress is very much essential for our survival. Our stress should neither be too less nor too much. It should be at an optimum level where we can deal with the environment more effectively. Selye calls this optimum amount of stress as 'EUSTRESS' or 'GOOD' stress.
But the difficulty arises in terms of determining the optimum amount of stress. As too much or too less of stress is highly subjective and relative, we do not know how much of it is essential or good for the individual. Sometimes an executive cannot perform efficiently unless there is considerable amount of stress. He feels comfortable with it but he is also paying the price by developing psychosomatic ailments like ulcer. Is this good for him or bad for him? We do not know! It becomes all the more difficult when we speak of the day to day problems and stresses and how much of them are essential.
Consider the following examples:
o
A student taking exams
o
An athlete running for a track event
o
A surgeon operating on a patient
o
An executive facing a board meeting
In all these situations the arousal of stress is essential. However, the amount of severity of stress varies from situation to situation and from person to person. Thus, whether we like it or not, stress is part of our modern living and we cannot do without it. It is very much essential for our survival, especially in a competitive environment.
EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
An individual’s life span comprises four major thrust areas of development. From conception to about eight years the cognitive development in the child is very important. Parents need to provide adequate stimulation for the child to nurture creativity, thinking, reasoning, problem solving ability, perceptual acuity, perceptual learning, intelligence, and memory. From eight years to adulthood the educational development should take place. Parents, teachers, specialists, and the society should work for the holistic development of the individual during this period. The vocational development takes place during adulthood and middle age. Here, one has to develop and use the skills necessary to deal with life and should derive contentment from one’s wok. The idea of contentment involves minimum discomfort to oneself and others. The old age is typically manifested by spiritual development where one’s interest is in trying to reach higher goals of satisfaction.
Educational development forms the significant part of life that determines future adjustment. Therefore, it is necessary to deal with it in greater detail. Unlike the present scenario where education has permeated into mere marks scoring exercise, the essence of holistic development is found in the following major areas.
A concerted effort is needed by one and all to consider all these areas of development during education. Thus, its complexity has no bounds. As it is often mentioned, there are no qualifying exams to become either an adult or a parent. Though teachers go through a set of qualifications, they are generally syllabus oriented than student oriented. The need of the hour is for the educational institutions and parental organizations to seek help and guidance for ensuring holistic development in the student. Given the present state of affairs we would be turning out marks scoring machines and not individuals. Enrichment of knowledge should result in skill and attitudinal development. Knowledge per se is useless. Let physical growth be coupled with mental development. At least then we are assured of passing our mantel to responsible future citizens.
[This article has been
published in Deccan Herald, a daily newspaper in Bangalore, under the heading
"Alpha Plus" on 14th
June 1998]
Career Planning is a serious business. But take it one step after the other. Look at yourself before you leap. Just because every other sheep is falling into the ditch doesn’t mean that you should do the same, too. Chances are too great that you will be drawn into a vortex stronger than a black hole.
Quite similar to an executive's job, a student's life is highly stressful in modern world. There are too many expectations to fulfill with fewer opportunities. Success comes with the balancing act combining imagination, creativity, self-awareness, and a certain amount of resourcefulness.
The stress is induced in the student especially due to the conflicting situation. A conflict arises, for instance, when two or more equally forceful goals are present and only one of them can be satisfied. It could be as simple as, `which piece of cloth to buy'. The student is forced by circumstances to fulfill all his/her needs within the college environment. When several needs are present and when a few can be realistically satisfied it results in a state of motivational conflict.
The needs can be considered under two major categories. On the one hand, there are desires and needs that has their roots in the glorification of modern way of living. This has catapulted the student into a void where the search for gratification appears endless. For instance, a fashionable dress, a vehicle, a considerable amount of pocket money; knowledge of movies, VJs; etc. are all essential to be accepted by the peer group members. Let us call these Peer Needs. On the other hand, pressures - both internal and external, operate on the student, which are equally strong. For instance, need to compete, succeed, excel, etc. are necessary to bring laurels to oneself, college, and the family. These are the Parental Needs. If you try to satisfy peer needs the parental needs are relegated to the secondary position leading to failure.
The solution to such a conflict lies with you who have to play a role quite similar to that of a person balancing on a thin line of rope tied between the past and the apparently bright future. Indulgence in fulfilling peer needs or putting all the efforts to satisfy parental needs would end in a loss - either personal or professional or social or all the three.
The first step in a systematic approach towards solving future problems is to know about you. Plenty of self-analysis tests are available in the market. But these only provide a flimsy picture, as they are not standardized to suit future needs. Identify your interests by opening up yourself to the world of knowledge. If possible, go to a professional psychologist and get a complete profile of your aptitudes, interests, intelligence, personality, and motivation. Choose those careers where your abilities lie. Treating hundreds of executives for their stress related problems I have found that their job satisfaction comes not from the salary or perks they get but from the enjoyment they derive from work. A profession you choose should have both your heart and mind in it. Do not, at any cost, allow others to make decisions for you. It is your life and you are the only person on earth who is responsible for it. However, elicit suggestions and advice when necessary from others including your peers, parents, teachers and others.
The following 10 steps provide an insight into the secret of success. Keep track of your failure and try to learn from it. Prepare a checklist and note down the developments wherever they occur. To help you remember, the following hints have been classified under the word "ARTICULATE". Emulating them judiciously will ensure in a smooth passage into the adult world of complex living.
A Aspire for life goals with confidence
R Reduce the strength of superficial needs
T Tolerate ambiguity
I Identify goals that satisfy your individual, social, and professional needs.
C Cooperate with peers, teachers, parents, and others
U Understand yourself thoroughly
L Learn to overcome frustration
A Allow achievement need to predominate other needs
T Try with efforts to counteract failure
E Explore the world with vigor and vitality.
These serve as a compass for the balancing act and aid you in moving toward the bright future.
[This article was
published in The Cult,
a student magazine Vol.1, No.3, July 1998]
STUDY INVOLVEMENT AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS
Students spend most of their waking life within an institution. How do they utilize their time? What do they expect from the institution? How do they gauge the role of a teacher? Do they have their kind of problems? What do they think about their studies? What kind of affinity do they have toward the subjects they study?
These and other questions are rarely asked and seldom answered by those who are apparently concerned about education. Educational psychologists identify several psychological and social factors contributing to the educational achievement of students. However, when factors like socio-economic status, geographical location, intelligence, personality characteristics, levels of aspiration, etc., are shared commonly by majority of the students, it is imperative to search for and analyze the individual differences among the students.
Each pupil joins an institution while being a host to certain unique experiences that cannot be easily bartered away with other students. Under such conditions any semblance of a commonality collates a handful of students as peer-mates. Consequently, one's feelings, thought processes, and perceptions are modified and strengthened within the group he or she belongs. These internal aspects have a very important role to play in the effectiveness of the student in a given environment. Hence, there is a greater need to measure and understand the student as an individual than as a roll number studying in a particular course.
One important variable reflecting such internal processes and influencing the efficiency with which a student is capable of handling the stressors in the educational environment is his/her involvement in studies.
Study involvement was found to be positively related to student achievement by several researchers like Eugene and Anderson. Asha Bhatnagar ("Predictors of Student Involvement in Studies", Agra: National Psychological Corporation, 1983) explains study involvement in terms of identification with the task to be accomplished. It is necessary to determine such identification among students to understand and guide them better so that they can become mature citizens and are able to face the challenges of life.
A few tests are available to measure study involvement. However, they are unable to provide an in-depth insight into the intricacies of the problems students have as well as the dimensions of study involvement. Hence, a questionnaire was developed to test the students in ten aspects that contribute to their involvement in studies. For any test to be reliable and valid it is necessary that it be tried out on a large sample so that it can provide a systematic understanding of the pupils engaged in education.
An attempt has been made toward this endeavor by measuring around 800 students of a reputed college in Bangalore City. These students belong to II pre-university, final year degree, and final year post-graduation courses. What they have to say about their involvement in studies manifests as an eye-opener and provides insight to other students at large as well as the professionals involved in education.
Throughout the year the students struggle with the singular aim of doing well in the exams. It is interesting to know how they feel about the examination system. About 53% of the students believe that it matters a lot to know the subject very well. They disagree to engage in any unhealthy practices during the examinations. Contrarily about 28% feel that it is important to score good marks by any means possible. The others are undecided about their attitude towards study.
It is surprising that a similar distribution of students is present regarding whether the teacher in a classroom should deviate from the syllabus or not. Around 53% of the students say yes, 19% are undecided, and the others prefer the teacher not to wander off in any manner as such. This underlies the need of the students to know more about the world around them. The role of the teacher has never been laid out so clearly as the following statements indicate. A teacher should be friendly (96%); clarify all doubts (94%); question the students in the class (79%); give important questions (76%); teach from the exam point of view alone (57%); and tell too many jokes (54%). Surprisingly, those who want jokes in plenty and those who do not want important questions have been found in the present study to score higher in the exams. Though an apparent contradiction is visible in the students' reports, they are screaming silently to communicate that they cannot ignore the exams but at the same time they need more information than they are presently receiving from their teachers. In addition, it has been found that the more one's movement toward higher education the greater is one's interest in studies.
If the students are so much geared towards knowledge, then what do they do in the classroom? About 27% of the students say they never talk to their neighbors during lecture as against around 7% who engage in this regularly. Probably the high scorers feel that they have very little to listen to in the class as it is these students who engage in side talk during a lecture. About 48% claim that they sometimes play games when the lecture is boring while 45% of the students refrain from such activity. Sitting in the front bench is a necessity for 20% but 35% of the students never would like to venture into the forefront. The myth of the former being more capable of scoring high marks is exploded because it is the others who do well in the exams. About 12% are typical of receiving one-way information and do not like to engage in subject-related discussions in the class. However, majority of the students (53%) sometimes prefers such lively distractions. The high scorers are found among the other 35% who always like discussions. Unfortunately, the present educational system makes cowards out of students. This fact is obvious when only less than eight percent of them is always willing to ask questions in the class. The same system has also permeated in spoon-feeding where around 45% of the students prefer that the teacher give them notes. A meager four- percent seems to be self-sufficient where they would like to make notes by themselves. The solace is in the fact that 37% of the students note down points during the lecture unlike 10% of their friends who prefer to relax one way or the other.
What importance do students give to extra-curricular and co-curricular activities? Television and movies continue to occupy 88% of the students in their spare time though only half of them are very much glued to the screens. Fortunately, around 92% of the students realize the importance of browsing through newspapers and magazines. However, the content in which they are interested is not clearly known. Over 85% of the students are interested in sports and games, almost half of them very much and the others moderately. Most of these students engage in passive play rather than in active participation. Within the college environment where abundant opportunities for social interaction have been created, very few students make use of the facilities. A handful of students, that is six percent, show genuine interest in National Social Service and National Cadet Corps. It is disheartening to notice that majority of the high scorers is not interested in such personality enhancement. The interest of the students grows stronger from literary activities (12%) to cultural activities (23%) almost proportionately. Participation in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities also increases as the students grow older but continue to stay below the average requirement.
Do the students know how to study? A small section of the students do combined study (20%); do not read the same material over and again (16%); do not allot specific time for studying (14%); always start the study from the beginning (14%); study for long duration (12%); and lie down and study (11%). Most of the students study only one or two subjects in a single sitting (56%); always restrict their studies to morning times (52%); do not eat or drink while studying (50%); do not read loudly while studying (42%); and sometimes learn the material by heart (41%). High scorers fall into the category of those who eat or drink while studying; study only one or two subjects in a sitting; and do not do combined study. Students, in general, seem to know very little about the better ways to study. The major reason for such ignorance is specifically due to lack of specialized training they have in their school days. Proper study habits are found to be better among pre-university students than the degree and post-graduate students. It appears that such habits become slack as one proceeds toward higher education.
How often do students visit library? About seven percent of the students feel that there is no use in going to the library and hence abstains totally from the world of books. The library is visited rarely by 21%, occasionally by 29%, every week by 6%, whenever they are free by 32%, and every day by 5% of the students. Thus while 56.5% of the students are regular in their reading habits the others are reluctant to touch the books.
How do the students judge their speed of reading when they compare it with that of others? Almost 29% of them reported that their reading speed is slower when compared to their friends. On the other hand, about 23% claimed to have a better speed. However, it is the post-graduates who have better speed than the average expected of the students. A significant positive relationship has been established in the present study between speed-reading and performance in the examinations. In other words high scorers read the study material faster than their friends did.
One major factor that facilitates study involvement is the emotional balance the student possesses. Self-rating done by the students on several characteristics revealed the following aspects. There were 60% who decided that they were not intelligent; 52% were tensed up; 41% had no confidence in themselves; 39% were unhappy; 29% reluctantly admitted that they were not friendly with others; 25% felt nervousness; 24% were restless; 22% had bouts of depression; 20% felt very tired despite their age; and finally 15% had a feeling of inadequacy. It is quite disheartening to note that not all is well with the personal life of students. Adults rarely give importance to the turmoil going on in a young person's life. The future looks bleak unless such emotional problems are rectified. In addition, the earlier the intervention the better it is for the students. This study shows that the younger students accumulate greater emotional problems than their older counterparts: more problems are found in pre-university students. The consequence is seen in their academic performance. For example, the students who feel that they are not intelligent score significantly lower in the examinations.
The major focus of a student's life is learning. The extent of learning determines the capacity to remember. Using inefficient ways of learning leads to scores of memory problems. Students have been found to have difficulty in remembering what is studied; what is read; what is seen and observed; how to give a speech or lecture; facts; numbers and dates; spellings; information in order; appointments and schedules; etc. Students had, on an average, at least four of these difficulties. Around 18% had more than seven problems; 53% of the students had three to six problems; two or fewer problems were found in 28%; and only ten students (about 1%) reported none of these difficulties. Such problems need to be corrected if the society expects students to adopt a professional approach.
How do the students visualize their future? Do they have a positive attitude towards the subjects that they are studying? How threatening does the world out there look for a student? Approximately 10% had absolutely no future plans; 45% were too skeptical about their future; 42% felt that the subjects they were studying would help them later in one way or the other; and only 3% were definite in their preferences. Most of the students liked the subjects they have chosen but not necessarily the syllabi. Some students wanted greater practical orientation in the curricular approach to study. A few had future plans either in terms of writing a competitive entrance examination for further studies or in applying for a lucrative job. A handful of pre-university students wanted to change their subjects of study and a few preferred to go into business.
The total score on this test yields a "STUDY QUOTIENT" along with the measures on ten areas. A detailed statistical analysis of these scores has revealed that the greater the quotient a student obtains the better his or her academic achievement in terms of marks in the examinations. In other words high scorers in the final exams have high study quotient and low scorers have low quotient. If one is able to know the quotient very much before the examination, then one can train oneself to improve his or her study involvement and thereby do much better in the examinations.
The present study has revealed that the range of quotient varied from as low as 66 to as high as 194. There are only 13% of the students below the average expected quotient of 100. Another 13% score between 101 and 110, whereas 48% have their quotients between 111 and 136. The top scorers who have quotients between 137 and 150 are 15%, and between 151 and 183 are about 11% excluding the highest scorer -- a female student from final B.Com who gets 194 and is exceptionally bright. The average for the whole group of 765 pre-university and degree students is 123. While 353 pre-university students score an average of 118, the 412 degree students have a mean score of 127. Thus it appears that the latter are more involved in studies than the pre-university students. Though they are the minority the post-graduates show greater involvement with a mean of 138.
Further statistical analyses of the data revealed that the study quotient is capable of predicting a student's score in the examination provided he or she maintains very little change in involvement. Depending upon the combination and course the student studies a study quotient of 100 is approximately related to the following percentages of marks: PUC=55; PUC Arts=47; PUC Science=59; PUC Commerce=57; Degree=46; BA=42; BSc=41; BCom=52.5; BBM=65.5; BHM=56; MA=48; MSc=49.
With reference to sex differences it has been found that the males are significantly better in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities, emotional balance, study habits, library work, and the study quotient. On the other hand, girls are better than boys in classroom behaviour and attitude towards study.
The overall impression that has been obtained from the present analyses is that the students in general are not totally against studying though they are not very sure of specific approaches to adopt while engaging in study. Study involvement is present in the students but a clear understanding of what factors are involved in such an endeavor is noticeably absent. However, the students have a positive frame of mind towards their future and are willing to contribute their mite in their own little ways.
When the younger population wants to serve the society and when they show such eagerness to take over, it is imperative that the society in turn should try to do something for these students. As a first step let those who are concerned with education realize that the students need professional training in study involvement. Such a realization can lead to an insight into the students' problems and capabilities. Helping the students to overcome the problems and nurturing their capabilities can go a long way in the attempt to gear them up toward holistic education.
Psychologists define learning as a relatively permanent change in behaviour due to practice or experience. The highlights of this definition are the retention of information; new information modifying earlier material; and cognitive processing of information.
The Intuitive Learning Techniques adopt modern pedagogical design whereby very little investment in terms of time and energy leads to optimum benefits. Using these techniques judiciously one can master study material in a single sitting and can retain information longer. These techniques contain six strategies enabling the student to be an effective learner.
1. Learning to learn
2. Unlearning ineffective behaviour
3. Using prior knowledge for further learning
4. Depending upon knowledge rather than awareness of information
5. Scanning selectively for information
6. Reorienting towards information processing
Unless the student takes a professional approach towards study very little improvement is possible in his or her effectiveness. Such approach demands the following requirements from the student: identifying inherent potentials; overcoming problems and channeling abilities; learning new techniques to learn efficiently; and sustaining knowledge and skills.
THE REGULATION OF CONSCIOUSNESS
IN INFORMATION PROCESSING
A study was
undertaken to investigate the efficacy of the operation of the whole mind in
information processing. Twenty-two female students in the age range of 16 to 20
years were tested on two equivalent passages with 30 key words each before and
after the three-hour training program. The program borrowed the metamemory
techniques and the objective was to enable the mind of an individual to act holistically
as envisaged in the Yoga psychology. The improvement in retention was found in
all the subjects and the average increase was very significant. Several other
studies, too, resulted in significant increase in retention. Theoretically, the
regulation of consciousness at an optimum level leads to high performance. Such
an approach can bridge the void between the understanding of psychology,
parapsychology, and spirituality.
Eastern psychology endows the mind with a capability to act holistically. The Bhagavad-Gita enumerates three forms of knowledge -- the sattvic, the rajasic, and the tamasic. Yoga psychology attributes greatest importance to the sattvic kind of knowledge derived through the operation of the whole mind.
For anyone trained in the phenomenal understanding of behaviour the concept of the whole mind appears esoteric. Hilgard (1980) distinguishes between two models of consciousness that operate in information processing -- active and passive. The third dimension of consciousness apart from these two modes is unfathomable to a scientist specially because it lacks objectivity.
An attempt is made in the present study to regulate consciousness in the holistic mode. If the whole mind is apparently capable of bringing about transcendental knowledge then it should be equally effective in information processing. "The mind has an inherent faculty and tendency to perceive the whole first and then to analyze the whole into parts" (Usharbudh Arya, 1977, p.108). It is to determine the veracity of this premise that the present study has been designed.
Students of the present times no longer have recourse to the Gurukula system. The current educational system is totally dependent upon the modern pedagogical techniques derived through the Western psychological principles of learning. Hence information is provided to the student part by part assuming that one would make use of these bits and pieces to organize them into a whole.
A major assumption for the present study is that the mind is inherently capable of acting as a whole. Such inherence is present in young children who have not been exposed to the modern system of education. Perhaps the statement that "strategic behaviour increases with age" (Ceci & Howe, 1982, p.158) indicates the tendency of older children to learn gradually to process information part by part.
A three-hour training program was designed in order to test the hypothesis that the operation of the whole mind is more efficient in information processing than the usual methods of studying. Experiments in metamemory (Brown, 1978) have shown that information processing improved when the subjects were conscious of the memory processes involved in a given task. The present study has imbibed the metamemory techniques but the overall strategy of the training program is based primarily on the concept of the whole mind.
The program is divided into six stages where the participant is introduced to each stage in succession -- preparation, awakening, semantics, tracking, parallel processing, and reorganization. In the preparatory stage the consciousness is regulated to receive information as a whole that is relevant to the topic under study. This in turn awakens the consciousness to see the general relationship that exists between the major highlights of the study material. Once the essence of what is contained in the literature is grasped the semantics, or central idea, of the material becomes clearer through association and tagging. It is at the fourth stage that tracking for specific information part by part, is attended to and rehearsed. Such tracking is guided by the grand design of the whole idea. Parallel processing takes place in the fifth stage where each part is woven into the whole and is understood in the light of the general picture obtained in earlier stages. Finally, a reorganization of the material is undertaken by chunking parts into the existing whole.
The efficacy of such a program rests with the recipients. Two passages, each consisting of 30 key words, were administered simultaneously to a group of 35 final year students -- 9 female and 26 male. This was necessary to establish the equivalence of the passages in terms of difficulty level. The passages were selected and modified from standard comprehension passages (Howe & Heapy, 1970). The mean number of words for 18 students who reproduced passage A immediately after studying it for two minutes was 13.61 with a standard deviation of 5.20. Passage B elicited a mean of 14.06 words with a standard deviation of 5.44. The difference of -0.45 was not significant, t= -0.25(33), p=.805 (two-tailed). Sex differences, either on passage A or on passage B as well as for the whole sample, were not significant.
A group of 22 girls from one of the women’s colleges participated in the training program. They were in the age range of 16 to 20 years with an average of 18.55 years. They showed interest to learn new ways of studying. They were tested on passage A before the three-hour program and on passage B after the program. The instructions were similar during the two tests except that they were told to use the strategy they had learnt during the program while studying passage B. The improvement was found in all the subjects as indicated below.
Table 1: t test for the scores on passages before and after the training program (N=22)
|
|
Passage A |
Passage B |
|
|
Mean |
10.18 |
18.18 |
r = .564, p = .006 |
|
S.D. |
4.93 |
4.24 |
|
|
Max |
20 |
25 |
t = -8.68, df = 21, p = .000 |
|
Min |
2 |
8 |
|
Such a considerable increase in the performance appears astounding. However, several other similar training programs revealed quite identical results in participants as young as 9 years or as old as 25 years.
Another series of programs was conducted in order to measure to extent of improvement among the semi-urban students. A total of 157 pre-University students -- 85 female and 72 male -- participated in the three programs in which they studied the two passages for a duration of three minutes. Almost all except eight were science students. The age range was 15 to 18 years with a mean age of 16.18 years. No changes were made in the strategy of the training program. The results of the three batches are as follows.
Table 2: t tests for the scores on passages before and after
the three training programs (N=157)
|
|
Batch |
I |
(N=55) |
Batch |
II |
(N=54) |
Batch |
III |
(N=48) |
|
Passages |
A |
B |
|
A |
B |
|
A |
B |
|
|
Mean |
18.86 |
23.16 |
r=.65,p=.000 |
16.82 |
21.76 |
r=.70,p=.000 |
16.77 |
21.44 |
r=.77,p=.000 |
|
S.D. |
4.74 |
4.05 |
|
4.75 |
4.85 |
|
6.30 |
5.77 |
|
|
Max |
28 |
29 |
t=-8.53(54), |
26 |
30 |
t=-9.80(53), |
28 |
30 |
t=-7.84(47), |
|
Min |
9 |
16 |
p=.000 |
8 |
8 |
p=.000 |
2 |
10 |
p=.000 |
The mean differences of 4.31, 4.96, and 4.67 between passage B and passage A for the three batches were found to be highly significant. Females were better than males considerably in the pre-test, t=1.88(155), p=.061, and significantly in the post-test, t=2.55(155), p=.012. The greater mean in batch 1 is also due to the presence of more girls (67%) than boys (33%). This underlines the fact that girls are more oriented toward studies than boys. However, the effect of the program was quite similar on the two groups with the average difference of 0.39 being not significant. In 6.37% of the students there was a decrease in performance and no change was found in 4.46% of the students. Among the rest 89.17%, though two students showed an increase of 15 words while recalling passage B, the average increase from pre-test to post-test was 5.36 words.
If the program has been able to bring out the best in the participants, then it is imperative to look into several theoretical aspects of the program.
Studies in metamemory stress the importance of intending, attending, and intending to attend (Ceci & Howe, 1982). The present study is principally concerned with using the intention to attend to the given task in a manner so that there is regulation of consciousness to receive and process information systematically. Keeping in mind the disadvantages of the passive mode of consciousness experts in memory advocate an active model of consciousness. However, the latter inhibits the individual to process information in its totality. Hence there is a need for a third model of consciousness as an alternative to these two. It is here that the idea of the sattvic knowledge comes into operation. Sattva, as is usually understood, is not neutral in the sense that it is neither active nor passive. It is a state of the individual wherein both the active and passive modes are interspersed coherently so as to enable the organism toward effective performance. The following excerpt from Bhagavad-Gita highlights such an idea:
The unswerving firmness by which, through yoga, the functions of the mind, the Prana and the senses are regulated, that firmness, O Partha, is Sattvika (Swami Chidbhavananda, 1967, p.892).
Conceptually, on a continuum of consciousness ranging from extreme passivity to extreme activity, there is an optimal level of consciousness that is to be cultivated by the individual whenever there is a need. Such an optimum level of consciousness leads to effective performance, be it waging a war or studying for the exams. The following diagram illustrates the above idea.
Fig 1: Consciousness and performance
Such a heuristic approach toward the third model of consciousness has greater implications in bridging the void between the study of psychology, parapsychology, and spirituality.
One can use the whole mind to reach an object or event outside the physical body. The knowledge of such an object or event is possible by regulating the consciousness through the senses. Psychology and physiology textbooks are replete with explanations of how sensory systems operate in the perceptual process (Morgan, 1965). However, demonstrations of subliminal perception (Nisbett & Wilson, 1977) and suggestopedia (Lozanov, 1969) emphasize the operation of the whole mind in information processing.
In conditions where the information is beyond the limits of the sense organs, regulating the consciousness extrasensorily enhances knowledge. However, a considerable amount of training is necessary for such control. Studies show that psi is enhanced by the internal attention states (Honorton, 1977). It is not out of place to consider in this context the Psi-conducive Syndrome suggested by Braud (1975) or the acquisition of Siddhis enumerated by Pathanjali (Sujendra Prakash, 1995). In case of spontaneous psi events where no specific training is involved, the Psi-mediated Instrumental Response (PMIR) model proposed by Stanford (1977) can be used aptly to describe the operation of the whole mind.
With greater effort and vigorous training the consciousness can be regulated within the organism so as to be aware of the unified state of being. Such transcendental state of Kaivalya can be achieved, for instance, through the practice of yoga as outlined by Pathanjali (Taimini, 1986).
Here consciousness regulation does not act as a switch. Contrarily, it operates like a knob by directing the attention outward or inward in varying degrees. The only effort needed for effective information processing is to learn the consciousness regulation judiciously keeping in view the operation of the whole mind.
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[The Regulation of Consciousness in Information Processing, Paper presented at the Conference on Two Faces of Consciousness at Andhra University, Vishakapatnam, 1996.
This article has been published as: The
Regulation of Consciousness of Information Processing in "Journal of
Indian Psychology", Vol.15, Nos. 1 & 2, Vishakapatnam. 1997]
