Related Experiment Videos
Imagery practice and the development of surgical skills
1Department of Surgery, University of Western Australia, and University Department of Surgery, Royal Perth Hospital, Wellington St., 6000, Perth, WA, Australia. jchall@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
Background:
The purpose of this review is to explore the potential role of imagery practice during the acquisition of surgical skills, imagery practice being the mental rehearsal of a skill.
Methods:
The core of this review is derived from a literature search of a computer database (Medline).
Findings:
The cognitive processing that occurs during times of intense learning involves processes such as dream enactment behavior and imagery practice. These processes complement and augment the more usual forms of practice.
Conclusions:
Imagery practice provides a mechanism for the explicit learning of surgical skills.