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24 - Decision-Making Expertise

from PART V.A - PROFESSIONAL DOMAINS

By
J. Frank Yates  and
Michael D. Tschirhart
Edited by
K. Anders Ericsson ,
Neil Charness ,
Paul J. Feltovich  and
Robert R. Hoffman
J. Frank Yates
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology & Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
Michael D. Tschirhart
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Michigan
K. Anders Ericsson
Affiliation:
Florida State University
Neil Charness
Affiliation:
Florida State University
Paul J. Feltovich
Affiliation:
University of West Florida
Robert R. Hoffman
Affiliation:
University of West Florida
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Summary

Picture basketball coach Don Smith, who desperately needs at least a couple of outstanding free throw shooters. Coach Smith's team has lost game after game in the waning seconds. That is because opposing teams easily regain possession of the ball by committing intentional fouls since they know that Smith's players make few of their free throws. Coach Smith is pondering how to recruit a new player who has already demonstrated his proficiency at the line. He is also trying to figure out how to train a current player to elevate his free throw performance to the level of an expert. Related to this second approach, Coach Smith also has what some would call “scientific” concerns. He wonders why none of his players is already an excellent free throw shooter. What exactly is involved in foul shooting expertise? How does one normally develop the skill? Why is it that some players acquire the ability but others do not? Are there certain constitutional factors, physical or psychological, that limit a player's potential at the free throw line? If so, what are they? And how can one detect them, so that resources are not wasted “trying to make a silk purse from a sow's ear?”

Coach Smith's situation is by no means unique. In some form or another, it is replicated in countless circumstances where the focus is on making decisions rather than shooting free throws.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance , pp. 421 - 438
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2006

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