One of my big take-aways from Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow is the simple fact that we are not passive receptors of information. All of our sensory data is incorporated into a complex web of emotional/rational/irrational/biased processing systems. I'm still coming to terms with the fact that I'm largely unaware of this processing. Kahneman's book is a guided tour through his research into understanding these processing systems and how they impact our behavior.
At one point in the book Kahneman suggests that expertise is really nothing more than a highly refined data processing system. Experts have intuitions about a problem in their specialty area that less skilled practitioners may not reach even after considerable deliberation. These expert intuitions are attributed to an extensive network of associations built up in the memory from prolonged exposure to the area of expertise. The expert recognizes a problem and identifies a solution based on previous exposure to a similar problem.
The expert sees that part of world in which they are expert differently than those who have not cultivated that same expertise. How does an expert see what others overlook? The submersion in a topic required to achieve expertise allows the expert to "code" a problem in an manner that allows a solution to be identified. The expert knows what to look for.
Part of my obsession with understanding expertise is rooted in the desire to find ways to get better at what I already do well. This concept of expertise suggests a very clear way to improve my skills as a problem solving chemist. Find more problems and work on solving them.
No comments:
Post a Comment