ERIC Number: EJ1154393
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Sep
Pages: 33
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0364-0213
EISSN: N/A
Plateaus, Dips, and Leaps: Where to Look for Inventions and Discoveries during Skilled Performance
Gray, Wayne D.; Lindstedt, John K.
Cognitive Science, v41 n7 p1838-1870 Sep 2017
The framework of "plateaus, dips, and leaps" shines light on periods when individuals may be inventing new methods of skilled performance. We begin with a review of the role "performance plateaus" have played in (a) experimental psychology, (b) human-computer interaction, and (c) cognitive science. We then reanalyze two classic studies of individual performance to show plateaus and dips which resulted in performance leaps. For a third study, we show how the statistical methods of "Changepoint Analysis" plus a few simple heuristics may direct our focus to periods of performance change for individuals. For the researcher, dips become the marker of exploration where performance suffers as new methods are invented and tested. Leaps mark the implementation of a successful new method and an incremental jump above the path plotted by smooth and steady log--log performance increments. The methods developed during these dips and leaps are the key to surpassing one's teachers and acquiring extreme expertise.
Descriptors: Performance, Cognitive Development, Expertise, Heuristics, Role, Skill Development, Learning Processes, Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Science, Scientific Research, Change
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Office of Naval Research (ONR)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N000141310252