Practice Makes Memories

Courtesy of Baylor College of Medicine - Center for Educational Outreach

Overview and Background

Students Experience how a new motor skill improves with practice

When we are very young, we learn basic skills like walking and reaching to grasp objects. Later, we master more complicated movements, such as writing, playing sports, or dancing. With practices, our performance fo these tasks improves. Such learned movements are stored as motor programs in the cerebellum.

Memories of how to do things are processed and stored in the brain independently of memories about facts, names, places and events. This type of "how-to" memory, called procedural memory, often is difficult to describe in words. (For example, try explaining how to ride a bicycle to someone.) Procedural memories are not restricted to motor programs. Routines, such as shaving after a shower every day, are also believe to be stored in the cerebellum.

Repetition, or learning by doing something voer and over, often is important for making procedural memories. The following activity demonstrates procedural memory formation by challenging students to learn a new physical skill and improve it through practice.

Skills and Concepts

Concepts

  • Procedural memory is our memory of how to do things
  • The cerebellum is important for storing procedural memories.
  • Repetition is important in forming procedural memories.

Science and Math Skills

Observing, Comparing observations, and drawing conclusions

Materials - Each student will need:

  • small unbreakable mirror
  • pencil
  • copy of Mirror Work student page

Procedure

This activity is best conducted with students working individually or in pairs (to take turns with mirrors), followed by a whole class discussion of observations and results.
  1. Give each student a copy of the Mirror Work student page and a small plastic mirror.
  2. Direct each student to hold his or her mirror so that the reflection of one of the shapes on the Mirror Work page can be seen easily.
  3. Instruct students to draw a line between the border lines of each shape as accurately as possible, whil looking ONLY in the mirror. Students may choose the sequence in which they draw the lines on the rest of the shapes.
  4. Have the students compare their first efforts with their last. Ask, Did it become easier to draw the lines after a few times? Why do you think it became easier? Have you learned a new skill?
  5. If time permits, allow students to practice their mirror-drawing skills over several days. Have them test their skills again. Ask, Was the mirror-drawing easier this time than the first time you tried it? WHat kind of memory have you formed?

Implicit Memory

Procedural memories fall within a broader category of memories that do not require conscious thought and are difficult to express in words. Other forms of implicit memory include habituation (becoming used to a non-harmful stimulus, such as traffic noise) and sensitization (an increased response to a sharp pain or other disagreeable stimulus).

Brain Jogging

Here are more ideas for you and your students to explore:
  • Name some everyday activities that rely on procedural "how-to" memories.
  • What would happen if we were not able to learn and improve our physical skills by practicing? Think of several examples.
  • How about skills like being a drummer? Do you think that takes practice? How about skills like playing video games?
Attachments:
Download this file (MirrorWork.pdf)MirrorWork.pdf22 Kb