How We Learn

The video explains how learning involves absorbing new information and rearranging neural connections. It uses the example of Rebecca, a gymnast, to illustrate how practice strengthens these connections, making new skills easier to perform over time. The process begins with an electrical impulse in the brain, which must cross synapses to form new pathways. Initially challenging, repeated practice makes these pathways stronger, supporting the adage that practice makes perfect.

What does learning something new involve at the neural level?

• Deleting old neural connections

• Reducing the number of neurons

• Increasing the size of neurons

• Creating and strengthening new networks between neurons

What is the first step in the neural process of learning?

• Activation of a nerve cell by an electrical impulse

• Strengthening of neural pathways

• Crossing of the signal between brain cells

• Formation of a synapse

What is a synapse?

• A chemical in the brain

• A part of the brain responsible for memory

• A type of neuron

• A gap between nerve cells

Why does Rebecca find the new move difficult initially?

• She lacks physical strength

• The neural signal takes the greatest effort to cross the gap the first time

• The move is not part of her routine

• She is not interested in learning the move

How does practice affect the learning process?

• It creates new neurons

• It strengthens the neural pathway, making the task easier

• It has no effect on learning

• It makes the neural pathway weaker