Procrastination and cramming for exams are not new concepts. It may seem as if “all nighters”, binge study sessions, and countless cups of coffee are expected of students the night before a test. It is becoming more evident that study breaks are essential to maintaining focus over long periods of time. Taking consistent breaks from mental tasks increases productivity and cognition and unfortunately, skipping breaks can increase stress and inattention (Ross, Russell, & Helton, 2014).
Each year undergraduate students are confronted with new credentials, higher expectations, and more competition as they fight their way to secure their bachelor degree. However, unlike generations before, today an undergraduate degree is only a stepping-stone to the next level of education for many young adults. In 1985, 1.8 million Americans held a degree of higher education and in 2012, 3.8 million Americans held a degree of higher education (U.S. Department of Education, 2015). An increase of 48% in 27 years could explain the rise in student anxiety and stress.
According to a 2008 study by the Associated Press, students reported that they frequently experienced stress in their daily lives over the past three months. This is an increase of 20% from a survey five years ago. Studies …show more content…
More specifically, vigilance refers to the ability to continue to pay attention over extended periods of time. A growing amount of research is focusing on a concept that many have experienced while studying: after a certain amount of time, focus is lost and performance on the task at hand declines (Kamp, et al., 2014). Coined by researchers as “vigilance decrement”, is the concept of that an individual’s attention resources will eventually decline. Until recently, most published research on “vigilance decrement” approached attention as a fixed resource that would ultimately exhaust over time (Ariga, Lleras,
Each year undergraduate students are confronted with new credentials, higher expectations, and more competition as they fight their way to secure their bachelor degree. However, unlike generations before, today an undergraduate degree is only a stepping-stone to the next level of education for many young adults. In 1985, 1.8 million Americans held a degree of higher education and in 2012, 3.8 million Americans held a degree of higher education (U.S. Department of Education, 2015). An increase of 48% in 27 years could explain the rise in student anxiety and stress.
According to a 2008 study by the Associated Press, students reported that they frequently experienced stress in their daily lives over the past three months. This is an increase of 20% from a survey five years ago. Studies …show more content…
More specifically, vigilance refers to the ability to continue to pay attention over extended periods of time. A growing amount of research is focusing on a concept that many have experienced while studying: after a certain amount of time, focus is lost and performance on the task at hand declines (Kamp, et al., 2014). Coined by researchers as “vigilance decrement”, is the concept of that an individual’s attention resources will eventually decline. Until recently, most published research on “vigilance decrement” approached attention as a fixed resource that would ultimately exhaust over time (Ariga, Lleras,