Peak Ch. 1

Question 1

short-term memory limits

Answer 1

• The brain has a strict limit on how many items it can hold in short-term memory at once
• Usually about 7 items

Question 2

Marton & Fernberger, 1929 short-term memory study

Answer 2

found that two undergraduate subjects had been able to improve the number of digits they were able to remember from 9 to 13 and 11 to 15 respectively

Question 3

Ericson’s replication of the Marton & Fernberger study

Answer 3

Ericsson replicated this study and found that a participant, Steve, who could originally remember 7 numbers could remember 82 after 200 training sessions

Question 4

quantity & quality of training over time

Answer 4

The second half of the 20th century saw a significant increase in the amount and sophistication of training across various fields

Question 5

deliberate practice across domains

Answer 5

No matter what field you study, the most effective types of practice all follow from the same set of general principles because they all harness the adaptability of the human body and brain

Question 6

typical path to learning a new skill

Answer 6

• We all follow a similar pattern when learning a new skill
• We decide what we want to do, get some instruction, practice until we reach an acceptable level, and then let it be automatic
• Once we reach an acceptable level and automate our performance, we are no longer improving
• Our abilities may deteriorate in the absence of deliberate efforts to improve

Question 7

performance of physicians over time

Answer 7

more physicians who have been in practice for 20-30 years do worse on certain objective measures of performance than those who are just 2-3 years out of medical school

Question 8

naive practice

Answer 8

doing something repeatedly and expecting that repetition alone will improve performance

Question 9

characteristics of purposeful practice

Answer 9

• Has well-defined, specific goals
• Involves putting baby steps together to reach a longer-term goal
• Is focused
• Involves feedback
• Requires getting out of one’s comfort zone

Question 10

overcoming barriers

Answer 10

• The best way to get past any barrier is to come at it from a different direction
• Barriers are usually psychological rather than physical

Question 11

is purposeful practice fun?

Answer 11

no, it isn’t always fun and requires motivation

Question 12

why did Steve keep going in Ericsson’s memory study?

Answer 12

• He was getting paid
• He enjoyed seeing his scores improve
• Once he reached a certain level in his abilities, he became a celebrity
• He liked to challenge himself
• From years of running, he knew what it meant to train regularly

Question 13

what is a critical factor for maintaining motivation while engaging in deliberate practice?

Answer 13

meaningful positive feedback

Question 14

are other aspects of training important?

Answer 14

yes, there are often equally important aspects of practice and training that are often overlooked

Question 15

Ericsson’s short term memory study with new participants

Answer 15

• Renee devised her mnemonics on the fly and without the consistency of Steve’s retrieval structure technique (pre-fixed pattern), could not memorize more than 20 digits
• Steve taught his friend Dario his technique and he was eventually able to recall 100 digits