Table Of ContentSkill Acquisition and Training
Skill Acquisition and Training: Achieving Expertise in Simple and Complex
Tasks describes the building blocks of cognitive, motor, and teamwork skills,
and the factors to take into account in training them. The basic processes of
perception, cognition, and action that provide the foundation for understanding
skilled performance are discussed in the context of complex task requirements,
individual differences, and extreme environmental demands. The role of
attention in perceiving, selecting, and becoming aware of information, in
learning new information, and in performance is described in the context of
specific skills.
A theme throughout this book is that much learning is implicit; the types of
knowledge and relations that can profitably be learned implicitly and the
conditions under which this learning benefits performance are discussed. The
question of whether skill acquisition in cognitive domains shares underlying
mechanisms with the acquisition of perceptual and motor skills is also addressed
with a view to identifying commonalities that allow for widely applicable,
general theories of skill acquisition. Because the complexity of real-world
environments puts demands on the individual to adapt to new circumstances, the
question of how skills research can be applied to organizational training contexts
is an important one. To address this, this book dedicates much of its content to
practical applications, covering such issues as how training needs can be
captured with task and job analyses, and how to maximize training transfer by
taking trainee self-efficacy and goal orientation into account.
This comprehensive yet readable textbook is optimized for students of
cognitive psychology looking to understand the intricacies of skill acquisition,
while being accessible to a range of students and practitioners.
Addie Johnson is Professor of Human Performance and Ergonomics at the
University of Groningen. She is co-author, with Robert Proctor, of Attention:
Theory and Practice, and Neuroergonomics: A Cognitive Neuroscience
Approach to Human Factors and Ergonomics. Her research focuses on the
intersection of memory and attention.
Robert W. Proctor is Distinguished Professor of Psychological Sciences at
Purdue University. In addition to the books with Addie Johnson, he is co-author,
with Trisha Van Zandt, of Human Factors in Simple and Complex Systems (2nd
ed.) and, with Kim-Phuong L. Vu, of Stimulus-Response Compatibility
Principles: Data, Theory, and Application. His research focuses on basic and
applied aspects of human performance.
Skill Acquisition and Training
Achieving Expertise in Simple and Complex Tasks
Addie Johnson and Robert W. Proctor
First published 2017
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2017 Taylor & Francis
The right of Addie Johnson and Robert W. Proctor to be identified as authors of
this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
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Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to
infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Johnson, Addie, author. | Proctor, Robert W., author.
Title: Skill acquisition and training / by Addie Johnson and Robert W. Proctor.
Description: 1st Edition. | New York : Routledge, 2016. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016008665 | ISBN 9781138640153 (hb : alk. paper) | ISBN
9781138640160 (pb : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781315531656 (e)
Subjects: LCSH: Ability. | Attention. | Cognitive learning.
Classification: LCC BF431 .J594 2016 | DDC 153.9—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016008665
ISBN: 978-1-13864015-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-13864016-0 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-31553165-6 (ebk)
Typeset in Palatino
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Contents
Preface
1 Skill Acquisition and Training in Context
Historical Overview of Skills Research
Information-Processing Approach to Skill Acquisition
Phases of Skill Acquisition
Quantifying Performance Changes
Modeling Skill
Applications of Skills Research
Summary
2 Perceptual Learning
Mechanisms of Perceptual Learning
Facilitating the Development of Perceptual Skill
Visual Search
Procedural Learning
Adaptive Perception
Summary
3 Response Selection and Motor Skill
Response-Selection Skill
Motor Learning
Factors Influencing Motor Skill Acquisition
Summary
4 Attention and Skill
Conceptualizing Attention
Attention and Automaticity
Attentional Skill
Implicit Learning
Summary
5 Cognitive Skill and Instruction
Problem-Solving Skill
Learning and Remembering
Learning by Analogy
Facilitating the Acquisition of Cognitive Skill
User Models and Intelligent Tutors
Summary
6 Expertise
The Investigation of Expertise
Understanding Expert Knowledge
Acquisition of Expert Performance
General Characteristics of Experts
Expertise in Three Specific Domains
Skilled Memory Theory
Summary
7 Why Errors Occur and Their Contributions to Learning
Errors and Action Control
Effects of Making Errors on Learning
Performance Monitoring
Prediction Error and Learning
Repeating Errors Made during Training
Error Orientation
Summary
8 Individual Differences in Skill Acquisition and Maintenance
Intelligence and Aptitudes
Task Analysis Based on Individual Difference Variables
Dynamic Accounts of Abilities and Skill
Problems of Interpretation in Understanding the Relation between Abilities
and Skill Level
Individual Differences in Reading Skill
Skill and Aging
Summary
9 Situational Influences on Skilled Performance
Arousal and Performance
Theories Based on General Arousal and the Yerkes-Dodson Law
Arguments against “General Arousal” and the Yerkes-Dodson Law
Circadian Rhythms
Sleep Deprivation and Fatigue
Stressful Physical Environments
Drug Use and Performance
Summary
10 Designing Effective Training Systems
Assessing Training Requirements
Structuring Training
Team Training
Implementing and Evaluating Training in Organizations
Trainee Characteristics
Evaluating Training Effectiveness
Maximizing the Benefits of Training
National Culture and Training
Summary
References
Author Index
Subject Index
Preface
Skilled
behavior is fundamental to all human activities. Skills such as driving, reading,
and typing are so common that we sometimes take them for granted. However,
most skills are a marvel of coordination. The same basic processes of perception,
cognition, and action that underlie basic skills go into the development and
performance of more specialized skills, such as electronic troubleshooting,
operating heavy machinery, playing tennis, and managing an organization. The
way in which skill is acquired and maintained, as well as the factors that affect
skilled performance, is of major concern to individuals, educators, professional
trainers, and human resource specialists in industry. Training programs are
devised that are intended to maximize acquisition, retention, and transfer of the
acquired skills to the situations in which they must be executed. These programs
must take into account how people learn, but also their motivation to learn and
organizational barriers to change.
The goal of the present text is to describe the basic components of skilled
performance and the way that these components can be integrated through
practice and training to produce the high-level skill required in various aspects of
life.
Historically, a
primary focus of skills research has been on perceptual-motor performance. This
research, both basic and applied, has produced a better understanding of such
issues as the way in which actions are selected and coordinated, levels of skilled
performance, and the conditions of practice and training that facilitate the
acquisition and transfer of skill. Over the years, however, skills research has
expanded to encompass higher-level cognitive skills, such as those involved in
Description:Skill Acquisition and Training describes the building blocks of cognitive, motor, and teamwork skills, and the factors to take into account in training them. The basic processes of perception, cognition and action that provide the foundation for understanding skilled performance are discussed in the
