New directions in the study of expertise in sport and exercise science (original) (raw)
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Frontline Learning Research, 2017
The expert performance approach, initially proposed by Ericsson and Smith (1991), is reviewed as a systematic framework for the study of 'expert' learning. The need to develop representative tasks to capture learning is discussed, as is the need to employ process-tracing measures during acquisition to examine what actually changes during learning. We recommend the use of realistic retention and transfer tests to infer what has been learned, so that the effects of various interventions on learning may be evaluated. A focus on individual differences in learning within groups of expert performers is considered as a way to identify the characteristics of more efficient and effective learners. The identification and study of expert (or good) learners will enhance our understanding of skill acquisition and how this may be promoted using instructional interventions and practice opportunities. Although these ideas are predicated on our research on perceptual-cognitive expertise in sport, we argue that they have general merit beyond this domain. The challenge for scientists is to generate new knowledge that helps those involved in developing learners who can acquire and refine skills more efficiently and effectively across professional domains.
Sports Medicine, 2014
Background A high level of participant skill is influential in determining the outcome of many sports. Thus, tests assessing skill outcomes in sport are commonly used by coaches and researchers to estimate an athlete's ability level, to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions or for the purpose of talent identification. Objective The objective of this systematic review was to examine the methodological quality, measurement properties and feasibility characteristics of sporting skill outcome tests reported in the peer-reviewed literature. Data Sources A search of both SPORTDiscus and MEDLINE databases was undertaken. Study Selection Studies that examined tests of sporting skill outcomes were reviewed. Only studies that investigated measurement properties of the test (reliability or validity) were included. A total of 22 studies met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Study Appraisal and Synthesis Methods A customised checklist of assessment criteria, based on previous research, was utilised for the purpose of this review.
The Relationship Between Deliberate Practice and Performance in Sports: A Meta-Analysis
Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, 2016
Why are some people more skilled in complex domains than other people? According to one prominent view, individual differences in performance largely reflect individual differences in accumulated amount of deliberate practice. Here, we investigated the relationship between deliberate practice and performance in sports. Overall, deliberate practice accounted for 18% of the variance in sports performance. However, the contribution differed depending on skill level. Most important, deliberate practice accounted for only 1% of the variance in performance among elite-level performers. This finding is inconsistent with the claim that deliberate practice accounts for performance differences even among elite performers. Another major finding was that athletes who reached a high level of skill did not begin their sport earlier in childhood than lower skill athletes. This finding challenges the notion that higher skill performers tend to start in a sport at a younger age than lower skill perf...
Sports
A comprehensive understanding of skill acquisition is important for different performance domains, and has practical implications for both sport sciences and public health. The study compared important constraints for expertise development in a physically demanding sport (cross-country skiing) versus a technically demanding sport (freeskiing). Eighteen world-class athletes reported the importance of different constraints for their developmental history subdivided into two age spans: (1) 7–15 years and (2) 16 years until present. The total amount of training did not differ between the groups, but from the age of 16, the cross-country skiers spend approximately 98% of their training specific to their main sport, compared to 75% for freeskiers. No differences were found between the distribution of organized versus non-organized training in main sport, but freeskiers reported a higher amount of unorganized training in other sports after the age of 16. No differences were found in percei...
A theory of the skill-performance relationship
Frontiers in Psychology, 2024
The skill-performance relationship is a cornerstone of a meritocratic society. People are selected for schools, colleges and jobs based on the premise that more skillful individuals perform better. Scientific understanding of the skillperformance relationship demands that the effect of skill on performance is objectively assessed without subjective, social, and political considerations. One of the best areas for this analysis is sports. In many sports settings, the skill-performance relationship can objectively be examined at the technical, behavioral, psychological, and neurological levels. This examination reveals that skill and performance are inextricably intertwined. While skill affects performance, performance in turn defines and affects skill. To disentangle the previously confusing and interchangeable use of these key constructs, the paper presents a theoretical model specifying that ability and effort have their own direct effects on performance, as well as indirect effects on performance through skill possession and skill execution in cognitive and physical domains of human performance. Thus, ability and skill are not the same. Although skill is a key determinant of performance, recent theory and research suggests that successful performers are successful not just because of their skills per se, but because they take advantage of their skills by creating more occurrences of momentum, making them last longer, and using them to bounce back faster from streaks of unsuccessful performance. Thus, momentum is an important mediator of the effects of skill on performance.
Breadth and Depth of Knowledge in Expert versus Novice Athletes [Sutton & McIlwain]
The Routledge Handbook of Sports Expertise, eds D. Farrow & J. Baker, 2015
Expert athletes seem to have rich and highly-organized knowledge of their specialist domain, which drives their abilities in perceptual anticipation and complements their motor skill. But although they know more, they can access relevant information fast and effortlessly, and update their models with relevant information during competition. In this chapter we distinguish between the various kinds of knowledge which might be involved in these expert advantages, assessing different views about the relation between declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge. We discuss theories which place much less stress on expert knowledge, and then examine experimental research programs which seek to tap expert knowledge in action. We also mention issues about knowledge in expert teams.
The Roles of Nature and Nurture in Expertise in Sport
Essential processes for attaining …, 2006
The dilemma regarding whether or not innate talent is a salient component of sport performance has been of interest for many decades. Howe, Davidson, and Sloboda (1998) rely on the position that if innate talent exists then this talent would be detectable at an early age, yet the literature supports the notion that some form of "talent" exists. However, Howe et al. continue to espouse the following requirement regarding talent: "These early indications of talent provide a basis for predicting who is likely to excel" (pp. 399-400). Their tenant is that if early, predictive detection of talent is lacking, then talent must not exist, and therefore, only training, motivation, and self-confidence (all detectable) can explain expert performance. Others disagree. Rose stated that people inherit dispositions, not destinies. However, it appears that until a direct connection can be verified between genetic predispositions and sport performance, the debate will continue. Scientific literature supports the noticeable impact of one's family and upbringing, his or her historic and current practice regimens, and the individual's genetic makeup, cognitions, perceptions, self-efficacy, and affect have on athletic performance. These factors can primarily be found on two continua: controllability and level of achievement. Each of these factors is measurable, and the measurement tools continue to improve. However, future research must entertain the possibility that athletes function within a system. The "Butterfly Effect" avers that a change in one factor, regardless of its size, can have far reaching impacts in other areas that may, or may not be anticipated. An area of investigation that extends current research paths exploring the lives of experts may include both qualitative and quantitative methods in order to compare experts and non-experts, while controlling for as many variables as possible (e.g., domain, coach, and gender). Such research may further enlighten the path toward understanding more fully the development of expertise in athletics.
Is practice the only determinant of sporting expertise? Revisiting Starkes (2000)
In this paper the authors revisit Starkes (2000), reflecting on how knowledge of the relationship between practice and performance has been advanced, and re-addressing the question, ‘is practice the only determinant of sport expertise?’. To answer this, 209 athletes completed the Developmental History of Athletes Questionnaire, providing details of involvement in a variety of practice activities. Practice history profiles were compared between Elite, Pre-Elite, and Non-Elite athletes. Although Elite athletes reported greater involvement in sport-specific physical practice and physical preparation activities, large variability in practice investment was observed. Results support previous findings that practice may be necessary, yet not sufficient for the development of sport expertise, and highlight that nearly 15 years after Starkes’ discussion, our understanding of the contribution of practice to expert performance is far from complete. PLEASE NOTE: The article published in the International Journal of Sport Psychology was an unedited proof and contains a number of errors. Please refer to the unpublished version of this paper (also attached) for the corrected edition.