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Principles of optimal practice duration from the expertise literature The expertise literature and its discussion of deliberate practice provides substantial guidance on the question of optimal practice duration. As Ericsson et al (2006) summarised: elite performers search continuously for optimal training activities, with the most effective duration ...

General pedagogical ideas around optimal difficulty Many theories of instruction suggest that learning is optimal when an appropriate level of challenge is maintained. If a task is too easy, there's little to learn. If a task is too difficult, the learner can be overwhelmed. The implication for practice is that task difficulty should increase in conjunction ...

The paper claims that training on updating (based on the influential view of executive function proposed by Miyake et al., 2000) tasks, which require maintaining and manipulating information in WM in response to new input or feedback, transfers to other memory tasks such as letter-memory and n-back, and that this transfer is associated with changes in phasic ...

Yes, brain power is eroded via a lack of practice. This occurs through the processes called synaptic pruning and brain plasticity. I will leave you with a very basic answer as I am unsure of your level of understanding of cognitive processes. First, you must understand neurons. Then, you can begin to understand synaptic pruning and brain plasticity. ...

Not using your brain might well be deleterious, but it's impossible not to use your brain unless you're in a coma or something. There are some cool studies on plasticity (see Shayna's answer above) in amputees, where the parts of the brain that control the amputated limb go unused but are taken up by other functions instead. However, "perpetual brain ...

Experimental psychologists have really grappled with this question, because boundary conditions make a huge difference. One valiant effort is found in a recent paper by Rawson and Dunlosky at Kent State University, who put forth a "3 x 3" recommendation: Practice to your desired criterion three times, then repeat practice at 3 regularly spaced intervals. ...

The first thing that comes to mind when reading this is diffusion of responsibility. Because responsibility has not been explicitly assigned, as it would be in a one-on-one meeting, people tend to feel like they do not need to do anything.

The article by Ranganathan et al (2004) provides some relevant information. The authors discuss how can be increased by two main factors, neural adaptation and muscle growth. They note how the motor skill acquisition literature supports the use of visualisation as an adjunct to actual practice as a means of improving performance: Research on motor skill ...

For applied purposes, gamification can be captured within a self-determination theoretical framework. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is an influential theory of motivation which grew out of research on intrinsic/extrinsic rewards in the 1970's, and which has been applied to virtually every learning setting. The main proponents of SDT include Edward Deci and ...