Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the minimum number of hours of deliberate practice generally required to achieve expertise in any domain?
What is the minimum number of hours of deliberate practice generally required to achieve expertise in any domain?
Which characteristic is NOT typically associated with deliberate practice?
Which characteristic is NOT typically associated with deliberate practice?
According to the findings, how many hours per week do expert violinists typically spend on deliberate practice?
According to the findings, how many hours per week do expert violinists typically spend on deliberate practice?
What factor, apart from the amount of practice, is essential for developing expertise according to the content?
What factor, apart from the amount of practice, is essential for developing expertise according to the content?
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What is a common misconception about becoming an expert in a field?
What is a common misconception about becoming an expert in a field?
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What factors contribute to expertise in a field according to the concepts of being born or made?
What factors contribute to expertise in a field according to the concepts of being born or made?
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How many items can average short-term memory typically hold?
How many items can average short-term memory typically hold?
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What notable improvement did SF achieve after 250 hours of practice in digit span memory?
What notable improvement did SF achieve after 250 hours of practice in digit span memory?
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Which of the following describes a significant characteristic of expert memory as noted in the Skilled Memory Theory?
Which of the following describes a significant characteristic of expert memory as noted in the Skilled Memory Theory?
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What distinguishes expert chess players from novices in terms of reconstructing a chess board?
What distinguishes expert chess players from novices in terms of reconstructing a chess board?
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What was revealed about the reaction times of national field hockey players compared to normal players?
What was revealed about the reaction times of national field hockey players compared to normal players?
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What concept explains why experts might appear to have more time during activities?
What concept explains why experts might appear to have more time during activities?
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How many hours of practice are often associated with achieving expertise in a field?
How many hours of practice are often associated with achieving expertise in a field?
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What percentage of practice time do elite skaters actively engage compared to intermediates and novices?
What percentage of practice time do elite skaters actively engage compared to intermediates and novices?
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What do skaters believe is essential for their success?
What do skaters believe is essential for their success?
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What was the difference between elite skaters' predicted and actual practice of triple jumps?
What was the difference between elite skaters' predicted and actual practice of triple jumps?
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Which statement best reflects the view of genetic factors in the development of expertise?
Which statement best reflects the view of genetic factors in the development of expertise?
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Who among the Polgar sisters ranked #1 in the world in women's chess at the age of 15?
Who among the Polgar sisters ranked #1 in the world in women's chess at the age of 15?
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What was one negative aspect of extreme environmentalism regarding skill development?
What was one negative aspect of extreme environmentalism regarding skill development?
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Which protein is produced due to the ACTN3 gene associated with fast-twitch muscles?
Which protein is produced due to the ACTN3 gene associated with fast-twitch muscles?
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What age was Judit Polgar when she became the youngest Grandmaster?
What age was Judit Polgar when she became the youngest Grandmaster?
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What research concept did Laszlo Polgar advocate regarding skill development?
What research concept did Laszlo Polgar advocate regarding skill development?
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Which factor can lead to excessive pressure on children in skill development contexts?
Which factor can lead to excessive pressure on children in skill development contexts?
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Study Notes
Genius: Born or Made?
- Expertise can be a result of genetics (traits born with)
- Or, expertise can be a result of environmental factors (hard work, coaching)
Short-Term Memory
- Average short-term memory capacity is seven items, plus or minus two
- Practice might improve short-term memory
Skilled Memory Theory - The Case of SF
- An average college student's initial digit span from memory is 7
- 250 hours of practice increased the digit span from memory to 82
- Chunking information into meaningful units aids memory
- Examples include phone numbers or a marathon time
Skilled Memory Theory - Why is this important?
- Expertise is skill specific
- Good memory is not a natural gift but developed through skill and training
- Expertise can be taught to others
- Average people can become experts with effective practice
Daniel Tammet
- Tammet has Asperger's Syndrome
- Recited pi to 22,514 decimal places
- Savants have abilities far beyond average
What makes an Expert? Chess Study
- Novices could only accurately recall 6-8 pieces on a chessboard
- Experts could virtually recall an entire random chessboard
Chess Study
- Experts' chess placement recalled virtually entire gaming position
- Expert performance is domain specific, using pattern recognition to bypass short-term memory limitations
Expert Chess Players
- Expertise is domain specific
- Pattern recognition is key to expertise
- 10,000 hours/10 years of dedicated practice is indicative for becoming an expert
What about Sports?
- Experts have faster reaction times (e.g., hockey goalies)
- Experts have better visual abilities (e.g., baseball batting)
- Hockey coaches believed players had faster reaction time, and better peripheral vision (tests confirmed this)
Anticipation
- Studies using eye-tracking devices in sports (hockey, squash, soccer, and tennis) show experts anticipate better than average individuals
- Experts utilize advanced cues and pattern recognition to gain anticipatory advantage
The Importance of Practice
- Anders Ericsson (Florida State University) believes expertise is a result of time spent training and not genetics
- Expertise results from 10,000 hours of practice
Expert Musicians
- International violinists practiced approximately 10,000 hours by age 20
- Concert violinists practiced approximately 8,000 hours by age 20
- Average violin teachers practiced approximately 5,000 hours by age 20
Deliberate Practice
- Expertise is driven by hard work, not just natural talent
- The number of hours spent practicing isn't the only determinant of expertise
- The quality of practice is just as important as the quantity
Deliberate Practice - Characteristics
- Deliberate practice involves high effort and concentration
- Practice must be directly relevant to enhance performance
- Deliberate practice is not always enjoyable
- It requires approximately 10,000 hours of dedicated practice to achieve expertise in any field
Deliberate Practice - Expert Violinists
- Expert violinists practice approximately 51 hours per week in music-related activities, some of which are considered as deliberate practice (26 of the total hours)
Maximizing Practice Time - The Case of Figure Skating
- Elite figure skaters are active 85% of their practice time, while intermediates/novices are active 50%
- Skaters' intentions are to acquire and master new jumps for success, while they actively practice already well-established jumps
Maximizing Practice Time
- Elite skaters incorrectly estimate the number of jumps they practice (7 double and 20 triple jumps).
- In reality, they practice a higher number of double jumps than estimated.
- Novice skaters similarly misjudged the types of jumps.
- Skaters tend to rehearse known rather than new skills
Just like Us...?
- Experts started their careers at a young age
- Experts had an advantage over others due to resource access
- Most experts' career peak in their early 20s occurred before reaching the absolute top of their profession
How would you test this theory?
- Measuring expertise/skill development after the fact is a common method
- Evaluating and tracking practice habits and resultant performance, as a means to verify a hypothesis, may be worthwhile
The Polgar Sisters
- Laszlo Polgar (Hungarian psychologist) penned "Bring Up Genius" describing 1% talent and 99% hard work
- Early and intensive subject specialization is essential
- Klara, a Ukrainian woman of Hungarian descent, conducted Laszlo's grand experiment with the Polgar sisters
The Polgars - Testing the Theory of Deliberate Practice
- Encouraged a mother (Klara) to conduct an experiment on deliberate practice with her daughters (Polgar sisters) , in order to test the "deliberate practice" theory
The Polgar Sisters - Women's Chess Olympiad
- Judit, aged 12; Sophia, aged 14; and Susan, aged 19, participated in the Women's Chess Olympiad
- All sisters were home-schooled
Susan Polgar
- Ranked #1 female chess player in the world at age 15
- First woman to qualify for men's chess world championship
Judit Polgar
- Youngest ever Grandmaster at age 15
- Ranked #1 female chess player, and #8 male chess player in the world
- First woman in the top 10 ranked chess players
Extreme Environmentalism
- The notion that genetics do not play a role in developing expertise
- Anyone can achieve high skill if properly trained and coached.
- Expertise development motivation can be enhanced through proper training
Extreme Environmentalism - Negatives
- May provide false hope if genetics play a significant role
- Puts emphasis on resources (e.g., coaching, training) which can be expensive
- May cause parents to put excessive pressure on their children
Genetic Testing
- Genetic testing can predict the natural athletic strengths of a child
- ACTN3 instructs the body to produce alpha-actinin-3 protein that is specifically located fast-twitch muscles
IQ
- The search for a general notion of intelligence has a long history,
- Intelligence can be innate and measurable through tests
- However, intelligence may be relatively fixed by environmental factors
The Politics of Genetics
- Differences between groups (gender, race, class) may be attributed to genetic factors
- Issues such as immigration policies and sterilization of those deemed "unfit" have been linked to genetics
- Science can be used as a political tool or weapon
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Description
This quiz explores the complex interplay between genetics and environmental factors in developing expertise and memory skills. You will learn about short-term memory capacity, the impact of practice, and notable cases such as Daniel Tammet. Dive into the fascinating world of cognitive psychology and discover how skills can be honed and taught.
