Transfer of expertise: An eye tracking and think aloud study using dynamic medical visualizations

Abstract

Expertise research has produced mixed results regarding the problem of transfer of expertise. Is expert performance context-bound or can the underlying processes be applied to more general situations? The present study tests whether expert performance and its underlying processes transfer to novel tasks within a domain. A mixed method study using eye-tracking and quantitative and qualitative analyses of think aloud protocols was conducted with medical professionals in radiology and nuclear medicine who diagnosed identical patient cases displayed with three different computer-based imaging technologies: a familiar, a semi-familiar, and an unfamiliar imaging technology. Results indicate that expert performance, as well as its underlying processes, transferred from the familiar to the semi-familiar, but not to the unfamiliar imaging technology. Educational implications of these findings are discussed in terms of their significance for designing technology-enhanced learning environments to promote the transfer of expertise. ► The study tested the transfer of expertise in comprehending dynamic medical visualizations. ► Eye tracking and verbal report data were obtained from medical experts. ► Experts diagnosed a familiar, a semi-familiar, and unfamiliar representation. ► Accuracy and specificity of the diagnoses transferred from the familiar to the semi-familiar, but not to the unfamiliar task. ► There were differential effects of eye movements and think-aloud protocols.