The role of deliberate practice in expert performance: revisiting Ericsson, Krampe & Tesch-Römer (1993).

Brooke N Macnamara,Megha Maitra

doi:10.1098/rsos.190327

Abstract

We sought to replicate Ericsson, Krampe & Tesch-Römer's (Ericsson, Krampe & Tesch-Römer 1993 Psychol. Rev. 100, 363–406) seminal study on deliberate practice. Ericsson et al. found that differences in retrospective estimates of accumulated amounts of deliberate practice corresponded to each skill level of student violinists. They concluded, ‘individual differences in ultimate performance can largely be accounted for by differential amounts of past and current levels of practice’ (p. 392). We reproduced the methodology with notable exceptions, namely (i) employing a double-blind procedure, (ii) conducting analyses better suited to the study design, and (iii) testing previously unanswered questions about teacher-designed practice—that is, we examined the way Ericsson et al. operationalized deliberate practice (practice alone), and their theoretical but previously unmeasured definition of deliberate practice (teacher-designed practice), and compared them. We did not replicate the core finding that accumulated amounts of deliberate practice corresponded to each skill level. Overall, the size of the effect was substantial, but considerably smaller than the original study's effect size. Teacher-designed practice was perceived as less relevant to improving performance on the violin than practice alone. Further, amount of teacher-designed practice did not account for more variance in performance than amount of practice alone. Implications for the deliberate practice theory are discussed.

Highlights

The question of how people acquire expertise in complex domains such as music, sports and science has long been of interest to psychologists
Music related practice — practice playing for fun playing for fun taking lessons giving lessons solo performance group performance listening to music music theory professional conversation organization and preparation everyday household chores child care shopping work sports body care and health sleep education committee work — — leisure present study music related practice practice practice playing for fun playing for fun taking lessons giving lessons solo performance group performance listening to music music theory professional conversation organization and preparation everyday household chores child care shopping work sports/fitness personal care sleep education committee work social activities social media/email leisure/hobbies
We attempted to replicate the seminal study on deliberate practice theory: Ericsson et al.’s [1] study on violin experts

Summary

Introduction

The question of how people acquire expertise in complex domains such as music, sports and science has long been of interest to psychologists. Influential deliberate practice view in an attempt to answer this question. They posited that ‘[i]ndividual 2 differences, even among elite performers, are closely related to assessed amounts of deliberate practice’—activities designed to improve performance The impact of this article—which shifted the narrative about the origins of expertise away from any important role for genes or stable abilities and towards the importance of practice and training—is difficult to overstate. It seems fair to say that no single article has had a greater impact on scientific and popular views of expertise than Ericsson et al [1]

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Conclusion