Practice is the repetition of an action with the goal of improvement, and it helps us perform with more ease, speed, and confidence. But what does practice actually do to make us better at things? Annie Bosler and Don Greene explain how practice affects the inner workings of our brains.
Vocabulary
Mastering
To acquire complete knowledge or skill in (a subject, technique, or art).
-I never mastered Latin.
Goal
The end toward which effort is directed.
-The goal is high-speed rail travel
Ease
Absence of difficulty or effort.
-She stopped smoking with ease.
Neural tissue
The main tissue component of the nervous system.
-Neural tissue carries information from your brain to your muscles
Grey matter
The darker tissue of the brain and spinal cord, consisting mainly of nerve cell bodies and branching dendrites.
-I wish I had a little of her grey matter.
White matter
The paler tissue of the brain and spinal cord, consisting mainly of nerve fibres with their myelin sheaths.
-The development of myelin sheaths occurs during training.
Spinal cord
The cylindrical bundle of nerve fibres and associated tissue which is enclosed in the spine.
-The spinal cord is essential to our physical movement.
Superhighway
A dual carriageway with controlled access.
-We could travel more quickly down the superhighway.