Lecture 4 Skill Development Flashcards
How does Andersons ACT framework of skill acquisition differ and coincide with Fitts and Posners?
Act framework differs in that it views cognitive activity as a form of problem-solving. It is a complete theory of cognition based on production rules. This problem solving is defined by IF THEN production rules as defined by the associative stage according to Fitts and Posner.
What are the 3 strategies employed when faced with a novel problem according to the ACT framework?
Difference reduction
Back up avoidance (don’t want to take a backward step)
Means ends analysis (think novice problem solving backward reasoning) e.g. Kohlers chimp.
What is declarative and procedural knowledge ?
Declarative knowledge is knowledge about facts and things. Explicit knowledge of which we are consciously aware.
Procedural knowledge is knowing how to do things. Sometimes constructed from declarative knowledge.
What is proceduralisation?
Proceduralisation is the ability to remember procedural rules without having to construct them. When encountered with a similar problem, the solution will just be remembered and applied.
What can proceduralisation is the ACT model be likened to in FItts and Posners model? What does this mean for the skill?
Automaticity of skill acquisition. The skill is more accurate, is produced more quickly and frees up cognitive resources.
What is some evidence for proceduralisation ?
Evidence in commentary studies where novices talk about declarative knowledge. Evidence in experimental studies. And neuroimaging studies that show increased activation in the frontal lobes for early learning and increased activation in the hippocampus in the later stages of learning.
How do Rowe and McKenna (2001) test automaticity using a dual task paradigm?
Looked at two alternative tasks- one which involved one taak and another which involved two tasks. The first task was to indicate when a ball on the tennis court was about to change direction. The latter/concurrent task was to say a stream of random letters. This task was quite demanding. Results indicated that when comparing experts and novices, the experts were better at both tasks and were not effected as significantly by the second task distraction. Suggesting a level of automaticity in experts.
Why do some suggest that experts aren’t as automated as suggested?
Experts continually monitor their own performance and think about planning, reasoning and anticipation when performing a skill. Experts appear to be mediated by “attention-grabbing cognitive processes”.
What are intelligent tutoring systems? Are they successful?
Intelligent tutoring systems follow 500 IF… THEN… production rules. The program monitors students performance and offers feedback based on these rules. Is very successful.
What are the four things suggested by Howe et al (1998) that could provide evidence for innate talent?
Skills emerge relatively early on
Special capabilities
Biological involvement
Autistic savants
What is some evidence for and against skills emerging relatively early?
Parents indicate that children had skills from an early age but the parents may have been more involved then they thought, making an environment that is conducive to acquiring the skill.
Autobiographical evidence of early ability to perform the skill but how could is early childhood memory really?
Kenyan children found to be better at walking, sitting and standing compared with other children but when genetically similar children grow up in urban environments this is eliminated.
What’s some evidence for and against the special capability arguments for innate skill acquisition?
Some children have been reported to be extremely good at talking or have absolute or perfect pitch at a young age. It has also been found that those with perfect pitch have different brains. But Howe et al points out that perfect pitch can be learned and this still causes brain change.
How does biological involvement support and argue against innate skill capacities?
Range of biological differences ie runners and there increased heart size. But direction of causation is hard to establish.
What are some argues for and against using autistic savants to support innate skill acquisition?
Autistic savant children are sometimes seen to have an outstanding talent however had to tell if this is innate or just due to their obsession with the skill and increased practice
How did Fox et al. (1996) test the role of nature v. Nurture for skill acquisition in twins?
Used a pursuit motor task and tested performance of monozygotic and dyzogotic twins who had been reared apart. Found a higher correlation of performance between the identical twins then the non-identical twins and this increased performance was not swayed by practice. It did improve with practice however for the non-identical twins. This is the only hard evidence to suggest an innate ability of skill
