Distinct laboratory objectives which emphasize the development of student psychomotor skills have been identified by several authors. (1)(2)(3). This paper reports recent research into the design and application of physical and mental practice techniques for the development of laboratory psychomotor skills of freshman chemistry students.Reseai ch activity concerning the development of manipulative or motor learning has traditionally been the domain of psychologists, physical educators, and industrial educators. These groups have considered practice to be a key condition in learning motor skills. The amount of practice and subsequent learning generally has been assumed to be a function of the period of time the individual participates, or the number of repetitions that are completed.An emphasis on the overt or physical performance of the task to be learned is consistent with the philosophy of learning by doing (4). Here now exists evidence, however, to suggest