There’s a fascinating article over at Scientific American that runs through the evidence supporting the idea that intensive training and education (e.g., knowledge) can be just as good, if not better, than innate talent.
Using chess as the main example, the author Philip E. Ross, describes how anyone can learn to play at an advanced level of the game through training. “[...T]he expert relies not so much on an intrinsically stronger power of analysis as on a store of structured knowledge.”
Of course, in my mind, this begs the question — if all it takes is increased knowledge through learning and training to achieve Grand Master status in chess, why don’t chess experts achieve that status fairly easily? Ahh, but they do more so and more so, claims the author, as we’ve seen a proliferation of chess “prodigies” as well as experts in other fields become more and more commonplace.
It’s a convincing argument.
The preponderance of psychological evidence indicates that experts are made, not born. What is more, the demonstrated ability to turn a child q uickly into an expert–in chess, music and a host of other subjects–sets a clear challenge before the schools. Can educators find ways to encourage students to engage in the kind of effortful study that will improve their reading and math skills?
An interesting question, if the supposition holds true.
Read the full article over at Scientific American.com that describes how studies of the mental processes of chess grandmasters ave revealed clues to how people become experts in other fields as well.
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2 Comments to
“Experts Are Made, Not Necessarily Born”
On the face of it, this seems kind of a “duh!” moment … ? People become experts in their field via education and work experience in that field. You aren’t born an expert chemist, for example — you choose to become one. You may be born with the propensity to become an expert chemist, but if that tendency isn’t indulged, then the talent will not appear.
It seems obvious but many people like to think
that innate skills explain why some people
are successful and others are not. If you
aren’t born with the skill then maybe you
aren’t responsible for your lack of success.
You have to learn good skills to develop any
abilties. In school lots of teens don’t
develop good study skills. One place for
help is http://www.slssystem.com
It has books for teens - jr high, high
school and home school students - showing
them how to handle academic subjects - how
to study and learn better. Good methods
help us build skills better.
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 16 Aug 2006
