Innate talents: reality or myth?

Howe, Michael J. A.

doi:10.1007/978-1-349-27647-9_7

Cited by 130 publications

(185 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Regarding the role of practice in the acquisition of highlevel cognitive skills, our data partly support Ericsson et al's (1993) framework of deliberate practice but are against an extreme view of the role of practice (e.g., Howe, Davidson, & Sloboda, 1998). Moreover, our data are against an extreme view of the role of talent in the acquisition of high-cognitive skills (e.g., Galton, 1869Galton, /1979.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

The role of practice in chess: A longitudinal study

Campitelli

Gobet

2008

Learning and Individual Differences

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We investigated the role of practice in the acquisition of chess expertise by submitting a questionnaire to 104 players of different skill levels. Players had to report their chess rating, the number of hours of individual and group practice, their use of different learning resources and activities, and whether they had been trained by a coach. The use of archival data enabled us to track the rating of some of the players throughout their career. We found that there was a strong correlation between chess skill and number of hours of practice. Moreover, group practice was a better predictor of high-level performance than individual practice. We also found that masters had a higher chess rating than expert players after only three years of serious dedication to chess, although there were no differences in the number of hours of practice. The difference that may explain the variation in rating is that masters start practising at an earlier age than experts. Finally, we found that activities such as reading books and using computer software (game databases, but not playing programs) were important for the development of high-level performance. Together with previous data and theories of expert performance, our results indicate limits in the deliberate practice framework and make suggestions on how best to carry out learning in chess and in other fields.Learning high-level cognitive skills such as those of senior scientists, virtuosic composers, and chess masters typically requires one to acquire a vast and meaningful knowledge base and engage in situations in which this knowledge base is used. For example, senior scientists should acquire knowledge of the results, theories, and methodologies related to their field of research by reading scientific journals; virtuosic composers should acquire knowledge related to previous compositions with their different styles by reading scores and listening to masterpieces; and chess masters should acquire knowledge of previous master games by replaying them. Moreover, they all have to use their knowledge in performance situations. For example, senior scientists have to design experiments, carry them out, analyse the results, and write reports; virtuosic composers have to create music; and chess masters have to play games. Participating in these situations reorganises the knowledge base and incorporates new information to it.Research into the acquisition of high-level cognitive abilities has raised a number of issues that are still waiting for a definite answer. Probably the first and most debated of these issues is whether the acquisition of high-level skills is only a matter of the amount of dedication to the domain of expertise or whether innate factors are involved as well. This debate has two extreme views: the first states that talent is the main factor (Galton, 1869(Galton, / 1979, and the other maintains that all skills are acquired through the interaction with the environment (e.g., Watson, 1924). Ericsson, Krampe, and Tesch-Romer (1993) have revived the latter view with t...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

The role of practice in chess: A longitudinal study

Campitelli

Gobet

2008

Learning and Individual Differences

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“…To maintain this level of performance, the Dutch National Olympic Committee has chosen 'talent identification and development' as one of its main research programmes. A talented young athlete is considered to be someone who performs better than his or her peers during training and competition, and who has the potential to reach the elite level (Howe et al, 1998;Helsen et al, 2000). Whereas in the 1970s and 1980s scientists focused mainly on the detection of talented athletes and developed sport talent-detection models (for a review, see Régnier et al, 1993), recently there has been a shift in emphasis from talent detection to talent guidance and development .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relation between multidimensional performance characteristics and level of performance in talented youth field hockey players

Elferink‐Gemser

Visscher

Lemmink

et al. 2004

Journal of Sports Sciences

155

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To determine the relationship between multidimensional performance characteristics and level of performance in talented youth field hockey players, elite youth players (n = 38, mean age 13.2 years, s = 1.26) were compared with sub-elite youth players (n = 88, mean age 14.2 years, s = 1.26) on anthropometric, physiological, technical, tactical and psychological characteristics. Multivariate analyses with performance level and gender as factors, and age as the covariate, showed that the elite youth players scored better than the sub-elite youth players on technical (dribble performance in a peak and repeated shuttle run), tactical (general tactics; tactics for possession and non-possession of the ball) and psychological variables (motivation) (P < 0.05). The most discriminating variables were tactics for possession of the ball, motivation and performance in a slalom dribble. Age discriminated between the two groups, indicating that the elite youth players were younger than the sub-elite players. In the guidance of young talented players to the top as well as in the detection of talented players, more attention has to be paid to tactical qualities, motivation and specific technical skills.

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“…Experience, conversations with highly skilled modern knappers, and the archaeological literature indicate that, as is true for many other activities, mastering flintknapping-integrating practical knowledge, motor skills, and strategic reasoningtakes years of practice (Howe et al 1998;Callahan 2006;Moran 1996;Nunn 2006;Roux 1990;Roux et al 1995;Roux and Bril 2005;Stout 2002;Whittaker 1994Whittaker , 2004; it can take as long as 2-3 years to become skilled at even just retouching a worn edge (Weedman 2002). Humans are not born as skilled knappers.…”

Section: Becoming Skilled and Becoming Very Skilled: Craft Learningmentioning

confidence: 97%

Introduction: Archaeological Approaches to Lithic Production Skill and Craft Learning

Bamforth

Finlay

2008

J Archaeol Method Theory

120

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This paper introduces the volume by considering what skill is and how archaeologists have looked at issues of skill in stone tool production, along with anthropological and archaeological approaches to the ways in which individuals become skilled craftworkers. Archaeological studies of flintknapping skill tend to be isolated from most larger debates, but both the archaeological and the nonarchaeological literature highlight how intimately skill and craft learning are woven into the fabric of society, although they also highlight significant methodological and interpretive issues.

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Innate talents: reality or myth?

Cited by 130 publications

References 6 publications

The role of practice in chess: A longitudinal study

The role of practice in chess: A longitudinal study

Relation between multidimensional performance characteristics and level of performance in talented youth field hockey players

Introduction: Archaeological Approaches to Lithic Production Skill and Craft Learning

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