in reply to Coding while drunk

I think it's called "state-dependent learning". I did some practical and applied research on this when I was at Indiana University. It wasn't for credit, but it was truly the best education I had.

A friend from that time was alway drunk for his attendance-required Friday afternoon class, so he had to get drunk for his final. He aced it, but to this day he probably couldn't tell you the first thing about it, least of all what the subject was.

--
tbone1
As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.

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Re: Re: Coding while drunk
by jepri (Parson) on Sep 13, 2002 at 02:46 UTC
    It is state-dependent learning, and it seems to work. It may also be the reason for mental blocks during an exam (you are stressed during the exam, but not when you are studying - harder to access the memories in another state).

    I put this to the test over the course of my degree, and it does seem to work. You see, I never could get into studying until I had a few... :)

    I have eyewitnesses to the fact that I used to drink during exams... some of the highlights were:

    • Got so drunk in my number theory exam I couldn't follow my own working, passed the course (maybe my lecturer was drinking while marking!).
    • Got tipsy in Wave theory, teased the examiner in my answers, got credit in course, examiner still remembers my paper as one of the most enjoyable to mark :)
    • Realised I wasn't going to pass thermodynamics, drank until I passed out(on my exam paper). Woke up in an empty exam room, with my lecturer shaking my shoulder and telling me it was all over, and I could go home now.

    I always seemed to enjoy exams:)

    ____________________
    Jeremy
    I didn't believe in evil until I dated it.

[reply]
Re: Re: Coding while drunk
by John M. Dlugosz (Monsignor) on Sep 12, 2002 at 20:35 UTC
    I had an idea: use different scents for studying different subjects. That will keep everything associated better.

    State-dependent learning is true for caffene, I think, too.

[reply]
      I had an idea: use different scents for studying different subjects. That will keep everything associated better.

      That's more difficult than it sounds.

      "Okay, what scent do you associate most strongly with Bio 227?"

      "Hm... coffee. It's always first thing in the morning, so I always have a cup on my desk."

      "Okay, cool. How about Bio 210?"

      "Well, I generally have a coffee and a cigarette just before that class. All through the class I can still taste the coffee, so..."

      "Okay, okay, how about Chem 210?"

      "Oh, my late class. Yeah, by that time I'm exhausted. If I didn't bring a large coffee with me I'd fall asleep. So, coffee."

      et cetera.


      LAI
      :eof
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