Textbook? Check.
Glasses? Check.
Music? Beethoven.
Today consisted mostly of studying, and it will probably remain that way for the next couple of weeks. Yay!
[Insert forced smile here.]
To satisfy my ridiculously short attention span(1), I listened to a wide variety of music. However, the majority has lyrics, which proves to make reading difficult(2). To remedy that matter, I played some classical music that I studied in my music appreciation class. Apparently that did not appease my difficulty focusing as I cannot stop obsessing over the brilliance that is Beethoven.
My inner hipster proclaims that it is so "mainstream" to declare Beethoven's Fifth Symphony as my favorite, but whatever... it is amazing (especially the third movement).
Tangential Notes
(1) No, I do not have ADHD; I may exaggerate at times... Interestingly, people often assume that individuals with ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) cannot pay attention when, in fact, the opposite is true.
In my cognitive psychology class, I learned that attention is often compared to a spotlight. When one pays attention to a particular object, their attentional spotlight is directed towards it. ADHD actually manifests in the patient's inability to focus their attentional spotlight. In other words, these individuals attempt to pay attention to too many things at once by rapidly switching between stimuli.
In my cognitive psychology class, I learned that attention is often compared to a spotlight. When one pays attention to a particular object, their attentional spotlight is directed towards it. ADHD actually manifests in the patient's inability to focus their attentional spotlight. In other words, these individuals attempt to pay attention to too many things at once by rapidly switching between stimuli.
(2) To my dismay, listening to music or watching TV while studying is indeed to one's disadvantage. This is due to the irrelevant speech effect, in which the rehearsal of words (silently in one's mind) is impacted by externally presented verbal information.
However, there is a loophole! The interference only occurs if the information is of the same type. I listened to Beethoven's 5th (an absurd number of times), so it was in no danger of impeding my learning. However, if I had listened to Beethoven's 9th instead, which has lyrics, the interference would be present once again. It is so unfair... I do not even understand German!
However, there is a loophole! The interference only occurs if the information is of the same type. I listened to Beethoven's 5th (an absurd number of times), so it was in no danger of impeding my learning. However, if I had listened to Beethoven's 9th instead, which has lyrics, the interference would be present once again. It is so unfair... I do not even understand German!
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