How can my brain memorize specific letters on the keyboard even without looking?
In: 1
Quick ask Zoe! What stops x-rays, Even dogs can’t.
Red fish vanish, then grow bigger. Yaks hear noises
under Jack’s mattress. I kill commas over long periods.
Peanuts.
Or something like that
Muscle memory.
Your brain remembers what signals it sent for hitting the right key.
A good way to see that it’s really not a “knowing where the key is at all times” but a “knowing what way to move when I am about here” try placing your hand(s) 5cm to the right or left on your keyboard where you usually place them. And then type out something blind. You’ll hit the correct placement from memory, but because you’re sitting wrong it’s not the key your brain thinks it is.
It’s called psychomotor memory, it’s completely independent from conscious recall memory. Like driving, riding a bike, or finding your way to/from the bathroom at night in the dark. Physically learning skills becomes automatic, so you literally don’t think about it after a certain point.
There’s this interesting case of [Henry/HM](https://www.google.com/search?q=hm+psychology&client=safari&hl=en-us&ei=LLJKYf7uIriq5NoPqcWU8A0&oq=hm+psy&gs_lcp=ChNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwEAEYADIKCAAQsQMQgwEQQzIECAAQQzIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgsILhCABBDHARCvATIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCGAzoQCC4QsQMQxwEQowIQQxCTAjoNCC4QsQMQxwEQrwEQQzoOCC4QgAQQsQMQxwEQowI6CAgAEIAEELEDOhEILhCABBCxAxCDARDHARDRAzoNCC4QxwEQrwEQQxCTAjoGCAAQChBDOgsILhCABBDHARDRA1CuDFiBEWCwF2gAcAB4AYABngKIAc4HkgEFMC4zLjKYAQCgAQHAAQE&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp), who had his hippocampus removed due to dangerous seizures. The hippocampus is known for being the part of the brain that does memory recall, so without it the guy thought he lived the same day after his surgery for his entire life. Decades, didn’t understand time was passing or recognize himself in a mirror if shown. However, he was given a muscle memory test of tracing an image backwards using a mirror. Every day he said it was the first time he had ever seen the test, but he was able to learn how to master it, and even retain that skill when tested years later, saying it’s the first time he tried each time.
A small part of it is the body parts themselves. Fingertips have a ton of nerves, so the feedback to the brain is increased.
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