I read an interesting article online about learning and insights from a study of chess players. Here's an excerpt:
"Ericsson [K. Anders Ericsson of Florida State University] argues that what matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study,' which entails continually tackling challenges that lie just beyond one's competence. That is why it is possible for enthusiasts to spend tens of thousands of hours playing chess or golf or a musical instrument without ever advancing beyond the amateur level and why a properly trained student can overtake them in a relatively short time. It is interesting to note that time spent playing chess, even in tournaments, appears to contribute less than such study to a player's progress; the main training value of such games is to point up weaknesses for future study.
"Even the novice engages in effortful study at first, which is why beginners so often improve rapidly in playing golf, say, or in driving a car. But having reached an acceptable performance--for instance, keeping up with one's golf buddies or passing a driver's exam--most people relax. Their performance then becomes automatic and therefore impervious to further improvement. In contrast, experts-in-training keep the lid of their mind's box open all the time, so that they can inspect, criticize and augment its contents and thereby approach the standard set by leaders in their fields."
Here's a link to the article, "The Expert Mind," by Philip E. Ross:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=00010347-101C-14C1-8F9E83414B7F4945&print=true
1 comment:
Seems perfectly logical. Interesting, it coincides almost perfectly with a book I'm reading about strength training currently, called, Practical Programming for Strength Training, by Rippetoe and Kilgore. In it, Rippetoe argues that for any strength training program, it is necessary to distinguish between trainees at the levels of novice, intermediate, advanced, and elite. Novice trainees see vast improvements very rapidly, largely because neuromuscular skills (how efficiently their neurons tell their muscles to do work) improve much more rapidly than sheer strength (how much weight the muscles can move). (Incidentally, neuromuscular skills also deteriorate much more rapidly.) Once the rapid gains of the novice period have been milked for all they are worth, it is necessary to change the strength program, add new exercises, go more often, and shake things up a bit, in order to continue giving the body the required strain that causes it to respond with a positive adaptation. I think once the trainee gets to the advanced stage, you're supposed to cut back the variety once again and hone in on specifics, but I haven't got to that chapter yet and don't really think it's ever going to be relevant for me.
Anyways, all I really mean to point out is that it's interesting that our patterns of learning/psychological motivation fall into similar grooves as our physical adaptation does.
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