Can You Teach An Old Dog New Tricks?

There were many responses to INITIATE’s last newsletter focused on the importance of learning. The overwhelming amount of feedback was focused on whether or not people (more specifically adults) can indeed change and learn new skills. As a result, this specific article is dedicated to answering that specific question.

In order to understand whether or not we can change, we must first examine the part in our body where all our past and current learning is stored – the brain. The brain is the primary center for the regulation and control of bodily activities, receiving and interpreting sensory impulses, and transmitting information to the muscles and body organs. It is also the seat of consciousness, thought, memory, and emotion. When our brain is in motion or in action, it is called the mind.

The brain is made up of over a hundred billion tiny nerve cells called neurons. These neurons have tiny branches which reach out and connect to other neurons to form a neural pathway. All of our physical and mental functioning is dependent on these neural pathways. We build and strengthen these neural pathways over time through repeated experience. This is how we learn new skills and develop habits – the more we practice or gain experience the more we build and strengthen our neural pathways.

Our neural pathways can become so strong over time that we no longer have to consciously think to do something (i.e. it becomes a habit). For instance, how conscious are you when you are driving your manual or automatic car? You are probably not very conscious because of the large neural pathway you have developed in your brain over time with repeated experience. This large neural pathway is also the reason why we find it difficult to change or learn new skills. We become so accustomed to the skills we have developed that we find it difficult to adjust to new situations. How comfortable would you feel driving if the transmission in your car was changed over night?

Until 1999 scientists believed the neurons in our brain were connected to each other for life after early childhood or adolescence. This meant scientists believed that we could not learn, change, or evolve very much – that in effect we had maximized our potential. However, in 1999 through the use of new technologies in brain science (quantitative electrophysiology, positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging), Richard Davidson discovered neuroplasticity or the capacity of the brain to develop and change throughout life. This means that our brain is flexible or supple enough to change.

In an experiment conducted at Harvard University, volunteers practiced playing a piano piece (i.e. a song) using one hand. They practiced playing the piece for 5 days straight and for 2 hours every day. At the end of each practice session, the volunteers were hooked up to a machine to measure the function of the neurons controlling the finger movements for them to play the piano. Researchers noticed that the neural pathway controlling the finger networks became bigger with more and more practice. By the end of the week, the neural pathway had grown exponentially like a population of mice. This confirms that with continued practice we can change the way we do things.

To take this experiment one step further, a second group of volunteers were asked to imagine or visualize playing the piano. They visualized playing the exact same piece of music as the first group of volunteers. However, they did not touch the piano keyboard nor did they move their fingers. They simply practiced playing the piano in their mind. Researchers found that the act of rehearsing the finger movement in the mind also had an impact on the function of neurons controlling the finger movements. In fact the neural pathway expanded to the same degree as those volunteers who had actually practiced playing the piano piece. So with mental training and practice (i.e. rehearsing over and over again in our minds) we can also change the structure of our brain and learn new skills.

So the answer to the question of whether or not you can teach an old dog new tricks, is indeed a resounding yes! You can either to commit to learning and practicing new skills or you can rehearse/visualize yourself performing that new skill over and over again. Research proves that if you are willing to invest the time to learn and practice new skills you will improve and evolve.

If you thought this article was interesting, helpful or insightful please forward it to co-workers, family, and friends. Our next newsletter will be issued in early January and will focus on 4 different ways you can learn to help change the structure of neurons in your brain. We wish you a great end to 2007.