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 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 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.
Table of Contents:
Skill Acquisition and Training
PREFACE
Chapter 1: Skill Acquisition and Training in Context
Historical Overview of Skills Research
Early Studies of Skill Acquisition
Transfer of Learning
Skilled Action
Information-Processing Approach to Skill Acquisition
Phases of Skill Acquisition
Quantifying Performance Changes
Performance Measures
Verbal Protocol Analysis
Psychophysiological and Neuropsychological Measures
Modeling Skill
Applications of Skills Research
Summary
Chapter 2: Perceptual Learning
Mechanisms of Perceptual Learning
Attention Weighting
Stimulus Imprinting
Differentiation
Perceptual Unitization
Facilitating the Development of Perceptual Skill
Visual Search
Procedural Learning
Adaptive Perception
Summary
Chapter 3: Response Selection and Motor Skill
Response-Selection Skill
Speed-Accuracy Tradeoff
Set-Size Effects and Uncertainty
Stimulus-Response Compatibility Effects
Sequential Effects
Motor Learning
Motor Programming Perspective
Dynamic Systems Approach
Problems of Movement Control
Factors Influencing Motor Skill Acquisition
Feedback
Schedules of Practice
Summary
Chapter 4: Attention and Skill
Conceptualizing Attention
Attentional Bottlenecks
Attentional Resources
The Psychological Refractory Period Effect
Specificity of Training and Multiple Resources
Attention and Automaticity
Attentional Skill
Timesharing Skill
Enhancing Attention through Training
Intelligence and Cognitive Control
Mind Wandering and Executive Attention
Implicit Learning
Summary
Chapter 5: Cognitive Skill and Instruction
Problem-solving Skill
The Problem Space
Metacognitive Skill
Learning from Examples
Learning and Remembering
Acquiring Knowledge
Second Language Learning
Schemas for Remembering
Learning by Analogy
The Einstellung (Mental-set) Effect
Facilitating the Acquisition of Cognitive Skill
Structuring Practice
Spacing Practice Trials
The Testing Effect
Feedback
Overlearning
User Models and Intelligent Tutors
Summary
Chapter 6: Expertise
The Investigation of Expertise
Understanding Expert Knowledge
Acquisition of Expert Performance
General Characteristics of Experts
Expertise in Three Specific Domains
Interpreting Medical Images
Computer Software Design and Programming
Expert Typing
Skilled Memory Theory
Summary
Chapter 7: Why Errors Occur and their Contributions to Learning
Errors and Action Control
Initiating and Maintaining Action Plans
Effects of Making Errors on Learning
Learning from Errors
Learning from Post-event Reviews
Performance Monitoring
Prediction Error and Learning
Repeating Errors Made During Training
Error Orientation
Summary
Chapter 8: Individual Differences in Skill Acquisition and Maintenance
Intelligence and Aptitudes
Cognitive and Neural Correlates Approaches
Cognitive Components Approach
Aptitude-Treatment Interactions
Task Analysis Based on Individual Difference Variables
Dynamic Accounts of Abilities and Skill
Ackerman’s Modified Radex Model
Norman and Shallice’s Levels of Action Control
Problems of Interpretation in Understanding the Relation between Abilities and Skill Level
Individual Differences in Reading Skill
Skill and Aging
Summary
Chapter 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
Body Temperature and Performance
Memory and Cognitive Tasks
Speed-Accuracy Tradeoff
Adaptation
Individual Differences
Sleep Deprivation and Fatigue
Stressful Physical Environments
Effects of Noise
Effects of Extreme Temperatures
Drug Use and Performance
Effects of Caffeine
Effects of Nicotine
Effects of Alcohol
Summary
Chapter 10: Designing Effective Training Systems
Assessing Training Requirements
Structuring Training
Simulator Training
Team Training
Crew Resource Management
Implementing and Evaluating Training in Organizations
Transfer Climate
Continuous Learning
Trainee Characteristics
Self-efficacy
Goal Orientation
Transfer Motivation
Evaluating Training Effectiveness
Maximizing the Benefits of Training
National Culture and Training
Summary
About the Author :
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.
Review :
A book on skill acquisition and training should be written with great skill. This one is. It is a comprehensive, up-to-date rewrite of an earlier classic by the same authors. I recommend it highly.
-David A. Rosenbaum, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, USA
This book by leading experts provides a superlative, up-to-date, and lucid summary of research on skill acquisition and training. Along with insightful consideration of general theories and empirical findings, the book offers astute advice concerning training in the real world.
-Alice F. Healy, College Professor of Distinction, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA
This is the most complete and thorough book I’ve read on skill acquisition and training. It successfully links basic processes such as perception, attention, and action to the acquisition of specialized skills and the development of training systems.
-Jeroen J. G. van Merrienboer, Professor of Learning and Instruction, Maastricht University, the Netherlands
