Hebbian Learning Theory

Mental rehearsal is strategy most often studied and used within the realm of sports psychology, though with possible benefits to other fields such as stroke rehabilitation, surgery, and music. While research tends to either juxtapose mental rehearsal with physical practice, others look at the benefits of using mental rehearsal as an additive to traditional learning strategies, often looking at the idea of learning strategies being either top-down in mental rehearsal or bottom-up within physical practice. One of the main theories supporting the benefits of mental rehearsal as a learning strategy is the idea of Hebbian learning and the significance of mirror neurons, as well as procedural muscle memory. Though much research focuses on the physical

Hebbian learning also provides a possible theory as to the emergence of mirror neurons. Evidence of mirror neurons was first discovered by Di Pellegrino, Fadiga, Fogassi, Gallese, and Rizzolatti (1992) in a study of macaque monkeys, in particular the detection of audio-visual motor neurons, suggest that premotor areas are involved, both when directly observing actions, as well as when listening to an action related sound. In a fMRI study, Lahav, Saltzman and Schlaug (2007) taught non-musicians to play a piece of music, they then observed the participants in a fMRI while being exposed to the music they had previously been engaged with; although participants produced no movement activation in the fronto-parietal motor-related network, was found bilaterally across the region. Participants in the study where then monitored while listening to a familiar song, in which they had no familiarity with in regard to performing it, though Lahav et al. (2007) still found activation in the same region it was greatly reduced. The findings of Lahav et al. (2007) study suggests the presence of Hebbian learning of mirror neurons, this is relevant as it provides neurological support for learning in the form of synaptic plasticity as well as suggesting that there does exist an overlap between motor imagery and regions of the brain

This psychoneuromuscular feedback could suggest that sensory feedback is present. Research by Hale (1982) on male weight lifters found that when asked to visualize bicep curls, this produced localized activity in the biceps. Significantly Hale (1982) also found that the internal imagery used had an impact on the amount of neuromuscular activation present, using an EMG it was found that when employing third person imagery only 0.08uV was produced, however when first person imagery as employed 0.64 uV was produced. This suggests that in order to receive maximum benefit from mental rehearsal, first person imagery should be used, as viewing the event from their own perspective might increase both the expected sensations as well as be more realistic to future performances. Driskell, Copper and Moran (1994), however found contradicting evidence in their meta-analysis suggesting that where as cognitive focused tasks benefit from mental rehearsal, tasks that rely on physical ability rely more and demonstrate greater benefits from physical rehearsal, suggesting that mental-rehearsal may not rely on psychoneuromuscular