Psychological Principles of Success

Neuroplasticity deals with the reinvention of brains to suit the performance of various

difficult tasks required for being successful (Wesson, 2010). The external environment places

demands on the brain. In response to these demands imposed by the environment the brain

rewires itself. This ability of the brain is called neuroplasticity. In my personal life I too have

experienced that once I have practiced some difficult task it becomes easier to do it. What

happens that the brain rewires itself and remains attentive to respond to such needs that arise

out of these difficult tasks. This rewiring of the brain is how I have achieved skills that help

me perform complex tasks.

Selective attention allows us to focus on the most important task and keep the

unimportant details outside our attention span (Hanania& Smith, 2010). Attention being a

limited resource to learn important tasks one might need to focus on a particular object for a

certain period of time. This is called selective learning. By focusing on particular projects or

situations we are able to grasp them better. In both academic and professional life that

important tasks require us to focus more. While working on your desk you have to shift your

focus from things around. Selective attention allows us to focus on the important parts of our

task at hand. In this way we accomplish the important and complex tasks successfully.

The concept of spaced repetition emphasizes that there must be appropriate gaps

between learning sessions rather than cramming up lots of information in just one session

(Examtime, n.d.). Spaced repetition works to embed learning in the long term memory. For

example if I try to finish the entire concept related to the anatomy of heart in a single session,

it might be difficult to remember it completely. Therefore, I read it today and again revise

after two days. In this way I maintain the necessary gap between two learning sessions. It

makes the task less burdensome and helps at retaining the things I have learnt. Personally I

use this in my academic life and when I study. It not just makes it easier to understand
complex topics, but also makes studying less stressful. In this way, the information I am

trying to learn also remains clear rather than getting jumbled up.
References:

Wesson, K. (2010). Neuroplasticity.In Brain World Magazine. Retrieved August 6, 2016,

from http://brainworldmagazine.com/neuroplasticity/

Hanania, R. C., & Smith, L. B. (2010). Selective Attention and Attention Switching: Toward

a Unified Developmental Approach. In NIH. Retrieved August 6, 2016, from

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2939469/

What is Spaced-repetition? (n.d.).In ExamTime. Retrieved August 6, 2016, from

https://www.examtime.com/guide/spaced-repetition-learning-concept/