Cognitive power is the ability to learn new things. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the range of phenomena called learning is more extensive at higher evolutionary levels. Therefore, no definition of learning is all-encompassing. But G. A. Kimble, in 1961 credibly defined learning as a relatively permanent change in behavioral potentiality that occurs as a result of reinforced practice. This is another way of saying that practice makes perfect. Learning has also been defined as the acquisition of information that makes change of behavior possible. It could still be aptly said to be an adaptive phenomenon that results in behavioral change. All these definitions are useful, but leave some problems yet.
Physiologically, learning is an electrochemical process in the brain associated with neuroplasticity that results in habituation. It involves changes in the strength of signals (action potential) transmitted from one brain cell (neuron) to another at the synapses.
Neuroplasticity implicates the myelination of the axons of the neurons, generation of new receptors on the dendrites and the release of more neurotransmitters at the axon terminals into the synaptic clefts of neuronal synapses.
The Anatomy (Cytology) of the Neuron
Understanding the effect of repetition on cognitive power of the brain may not be possible without the basic understanding of the structure of the brain cell - the neuron.
The neuron is an elongated kind of cell consisting of three major parts including:
The body with several spiked protrusions known as the dendrites is the head of the neuron.
The axon is an elongated middle part of the neuron. It is coated (insulated) with fat molecules known as myelin (myelination).
The tail region known as axon terminal houses the information-transmitting substances known as neurotransmitters.
The cell bodies of the neurons make up the grey matter of the brain, while the axons make up the white matter that support the grey matter.
The Physiology of the Neuron
As has been x-rayed in a previous blog titled "the neuron", stimuli are received by the neurons from the senses or in form of chemical signals at the synapses between neurons in the nervous system. The stimuli are received by the receptors at the dendrites, processed in the cell body, and transmitted as electrical impulses called action potential along the axon, causing the release of neurotransmitter at the axon terminal into the synaptic gap which stimulates the next neuron. The axons of the brain cells are myelinated, and get more myelinated with repeated stimulation.
Myelination
Myelination is the insulation of the neuronal axons with fatty acid molecules. It is similar to the insulation of electric cables with plastic coats. This increases the strength of the signals transmitted along the axons. The increase in the speed and strength of signals is correlated with with increase in cognitive power of an individual.
Intermittently Widened Spaced Reallyepetition
Because myelination is a kind of growth that takes place gradually over a relatively long period, many repetitions in a short time produces little or no effect. But when repetition is spaced out, it reinforces the mental strength of an individual and enhances the understanding and later recognition of the twists and turns of difficult tasks. This is to say that spaced repetition consolidates the information acquired. But to amplify the effect spaced repetition the gap between two intervals should be intermittently widened. The wider the gaps, the more profound the effect.
Studies have demonstrated that candidates who review a course severaly at spaced intervals perform better in examinations than those who crash through the course with several reviews in a short time before participating in the same examination.
Therefore, intermittently widened spaced repetition is the most effective kind of repetition.
Festus C. Anaba, B Med.
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