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Published on: June 1, 2015
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Improving old tricks as new: Young adults learn from repeating everyday activities
Gil Meir Leizerowitz1,2, Ran Gabai3, Meir Plotnik4,5
1Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Plos One
|May 11, 2023
Summary
Even highly practiced daily activities can be improved with practice. Young adults showed significant, lasting gains in the Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG) task after just a few repetitions, demonstrating new learning.
Area of Science:
- Motor Learning
- Neuroplasticity
- Human Movement Science
Background:
- Daily activities are often assumed to be fully mastered by young adults.
- Potential for improvement in highly familiar motor tasks is frequently underestimated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of repeated practice on a common daily motor task in young healthy adults.
- To determine if practice can lead to substantial and lasting improvements in motor skill execution.
Main Methods:
- Young adults (N=15) repeatedly performed the Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG) task over multiple sessions.
- Participants were video recorded and wore inertial measurement units to analyze kinematics.
- Performance was assessed immediately, the next day, and one week later.
Main Results:
- Task execution times significantly improved with practice, following a power function typical of skill acquisition.
- Performance gains were retained overnight and up to a week later, with continued improvement.
- Kinematic analysis revealed both immediate and delayed changes, suggesting memory consolidation.
Conclusions:
- Even highly familiar, everyday motor tasks can be substantially improved through practice in young healthy individuals.
- Repeated task execution triggers lasting learning and skill enhancement, similar to novel task acquisition.
- Findings highlight the potential for motor skill refinement in routine activities and the underlying neuroplasticity.
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