The Brain's Prelude to Movement

The Brain's Prelude to Movement

Learning Objectives

Understand the concept of readiness potential and its significance
Be aware of the time gap between brain activity and conscious awareness
Recognize the role of the right temporal lobe in insightful thinking

What do you already know about the brain's activity before we consciously decide to move?

Discovery of the Readiness Potential

Experiments by Kornhuber and Deecke
Electrical activity preceding voluntary movements
Implication of the motor region in controlling voluntary movements

Identification of Conscious Intention

Study by Benjamin Libet
Conscious awareness occurring after readiness potential
Time gap between intention and movement

Brain Activity Preceding Voluntary Movements

Readiness potential occurring 1.5 seconds before movement
Use of Electroencephalograph (EEG) and Electromyograph (EMG)

Involvement of the Right Temporal Lobe

Implication in moments of insight
Associated with 'aha!' moments

Key Concepts

Readiness potential
Electroencephalograph (EEG)
Electromyograph (EMG)
Motor region
Conscious awareness

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.