Development of Professional Expertise: Toward Measurement of Expert Performance and Design of Optimal Learning Environments [Paperback]

K. Anders Ericsson (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521740088 | ISBN-13: 978-0521740081 | Publication Date: June 22, 2009 | Edition: 1

Professionals such as medical doctors, airplane pilots, lawyers, and technical specialists find that some of their peers have reached high levels of achievement that are difficult to measure objectively. In order to understand to what extent it is possible to learn from these expert performers for the purpose of helping others improve their performance, we first need to reproduce and measure this performance. This book is designed to provide the first comprehensive overview of research on the acquisition and training of professional performance as measured by objective methods rather than by subjective ratings by supervisors. In this collection of articles, the world's foremost experts discuss methods for assessing the experts' knowledge and review our knowledge on how we can measure professional performance and design training environments that permit beginning and experienced professionals to develop and maintain their high levels of performance, using examples from a wide range of professional domains.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This edited volume on expertise is unique in its dual focus not only on professional performance, but also on the objective measurement of professional performance. Moreover, professional performance is studied and discussed throughout the chapters not in the context of traditional sterile laboratory settings, but in the context of actual professional settings. This authentic context requires scholars and practitioners to address factors that are ignored in laboratory settings, such as the dynamics of professional performance, changing conditions, and high-stakes stress. Striving toward objective criteria for measuring expert professional performance also requires the identification and analyses of representative tasks that are valid in professional practice. This welcome focus on objective measurement of professional performance should lead to insights about transfer, innovation, and novel ways to develop training and practice activities. This comprehensive volume is a must-read for anyone interested in superior performance in professional settings."
- Micki Chi, Arizona State University


"When I first read the work of Anders Ericsson, it changed forever the way I thought about the meaning and importance of talent. No one has done more to deepen our understanding of what it takes to master a task."
- Malcolm Gladwell


"This book has many fascinating chapters on the latest developments in training, including training design, technological breakthroughs, what effective training involves, how much time needs to be spent on various types of training, how training is used successfully in different domains, especially the military, and performance measurement. This is a cutting edge book; the best chapters really move the field forward."
- Edwin A. Locke, Emeritus, University of Maryland


"If you want to learn about the science of expertise as well as what experts do to develop and maintain their expertise - this is the book to have! Anders Ericsson has created a wonderful gem; a one-of-a-kind source that clearly highlights the thinking, the research, and the practical principles generated from the study of expertise. For those in organizations that are concerned about developing and managing talent and competencies in their workforce - this is a must-read!"
- Eduardo Salas, University of Central Florida


"...offer the interested reader an excellent example of the work under way in fields like the military, medicine, scientific labs, and other industrial and academic areas... This volume, which follows closely on the publication of the Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance (Ericsson et al., 2006), brings together [the] leading researchers, practitioners, and engineers... Development of Professional Expertise represents yet another in a long line of important contributions by K. Anders Ericsson to our understanding of human learning."
- Howard T. Everson, PsycCRITIQUES

Book Description

Development of Professional Expertise provides the first comprehensive overview of research on the acquisition and training of professional performance as measured by objective methods rather than by subjective ratings by supervisors. In this collection of articles, the world's foremost experts review our knowledge on how we can measure professional performance and design training environments that permit beginning and experienced professionals to develop and maintain their high levels of performance, using examples from a wide range of professional domains.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 568 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (June 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521740088
• ISBN-13: 978-0521740081
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and Practical Insights to Developing Great Performers, January 10, 2010

By 

Dan Coughlin "Dan Coughlin" (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Development of Professional Expertise: Toward Measurement of Expert Performance and Design of Optimal Learning Environments (Paperback)

Development of Professional Expertise is perhaps the finest book I've ever read on how to generate great individual and group performances, and I've read more than 400 books on the topic. Indirectly it shows how ineffective traditional talent management really is at many organizations. Using terms like "work-sample testing, engagement simulation, and after-activity reviews," it provides the reader with a toolbox of approaches that can be applied in any type of organization. The variety of authors and case studies provides extraordinary breadth and depth on the topics of objectively measuring performance and ways to improve it. I can't think of a better investment for any business manager who wants to improve performance throughout his or her organization, or part of an organization.

My favorite parts of this book were the actual methods for improving performance, which include engagement simulation, cognitive apprenticeship, processing activities, modeling, and problem-based methods. My on-going professional quest is to find ways to improve group performance because I believe groups are the fundamental unit of any organization. No individual creates and delivers value to customers in a vacuum. That value is created and delivered by groups of people. Organizations don't create new products or services. It is groups within those organizations that create the new products and services. Consequently any methods that can be applied to improve group performance are very valuable in my opinion.
Even though on page three, it says, "The primary focus of this book is on individual performance," I still believe these methods for improving performance can be applied to groups as well even though it may require some tweaking of the methods.

An additional strength of the book is the breadth of examples and authors. This theme of developing professional expertise was looked at from the eyes of more than 30 authors, all of whom seem to know the content of their chapters very well. This enriched the overall perspective that the reader gained from the book. It would be impossible for any one person to have that much breadth of knowledge and experience.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, Interesting and Exhaustive, January 8, 2010

By 

Peter Jeans "PJ" (Australia) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Development of Professional Expertise: Toward Measurement of Expert Performance and Design of Optimal Learning Environments (Paperback)

This is an interesting book on how expertise is acquired, maintained and improved in the military and professional arenas. It is a collection of works from many contributing authors - all experts in their fields. It is quite detailed and would be useful for educational professionals, psychologists, university students and others that are interested in the training field.

It is a must read for educational administrators - who in some districts are bent on using the model of 'medical rounds' to improve educational outcomes. Discussed at length in several section are some of the current difficulties faced in keeping medical professional skills up to scratch- where it is argued that in several key areas of diagnosis their capacity fades over time and the mechanisms of meaningful professional development are not in place.

The most interesting sections are on the US military and what it is doing to continually train and prepare its workforce. This is no small task given the complexity and unpredictability of military engagements, and the continual rotation of staff via posting. The National Training Center, and Top Gun are discussed where real life, complex scenarios are used to build operational skills. Constant 'after action reviews' are used as a source of feedback to bring about improvement. the use of modern computer based training is also explored - and this also makes informative reading.

The book presents other ways of designing instructional processes to replace or compliment traditional and largely ineffective approaches of "theory and practical sessions' which are seldom interlinked in a meaningful way.

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrirfic Source for Teachers, April 9, 2011

By 

W. N. "Will-N-LA" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Development of Professional Expertise: Toward Measurement of Expert Performance and Design of Optimal Learning Environments (Paperback)

I've only had time to read 4-5 of the articles in this book, but it's already changed my teaching practice.
E. Anders Ericsson and these authors are better than any of the pedagogy sources used in teacher training or professional development.
Highly recommended.