60秒科学:Find X and Say Your Work

Find X and Say Your Work
A study in the Electronic Journal of Research In Educational Psychology¹ found that students who worked out math problems out loud got more accurate results, and faster. Karen Hopkin reports

Did you ever sit down to take a test and discover that the person next to you mumbles² his way through the whole thing. You probably thought, “What kind of doofus can’t add a few numbers without moving his mouth?” Turns out the answer may be: a very clever doofus. Because a study published in the Electronic Journal of Research In Educational Psychology suggests that students who think out loud while taking a math test are more likely to get the right answer.

Counting things out on fingers is a time-honored tradition. But this study looked at what happens when students bring their lips in on the action.

A handful of mathematics students were ushered³ into separate rooms and given some problems to solve. The researchers videotaped their efforts and graded their exams. And they found that the students who reasoned through their thinking out loud, or who drew out pictures that represented the problem,were able to answer the questions more quickly—and more accurately—than students who were quiet and didn’t doodle.

How these sketches⁴ and monologues⁵ can help with your calculations remains⁶ a statement waiting for a proof. Until then, remember: sound it out; show your work; and when you run out of fingers, you can always count on your toes.
 

1 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

2 mumbles   

含糊的话或声音，咕哝( mumble的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He always mumbles when he's embarrassed. 他感到难为情时说话就含糊不清了。
• When the old lady speaks she often mumbles her words. 这位老妇人说起话来常常含糊不清。

3 ushered   

v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
• A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 sketches   

n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概

参考例句：

• The artist is making sketches for his next painting. 画家正为他的下一幅作品画素描。
• You have to admit that these sketches are true to life. 你得承认这些素描很逼真。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 monologues   

n.（戏剧）长篇独白( monologue的名词复数 )；滔滔不绝的讲话；独角戏

参考例句：

• That film combines real testimonials with monologues read by actors. 电影中既有真人讲的真事，也有演员的独白。 来自互联网
• Her monologues may help her make sense of her day. 她的独白可以帮助她让她一天的感觉。 来自互联网

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。