Book quiz
Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise Quiz
Peak: Secrets from the New Science of ExpertiseAnders Ericsson, Robert PoolAn ordinary student learned to repeat eighty-two digits in sequence after two hundred hours, although his memory apparently had not changed. Anders Ericsson, whose research underlies the ten-thousand-hour rule, explains what actually happens when someone becomes an expert. And why he himself disputed that rule.
Question 1 of 5
According to the researchers, why could Steve Faloon repeat eighty-two digits?
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Right answer: He packed the digits into meaningful chunks
Steve's short-term memory capacity barely changed. What changed was the structure: groups of digits became race times for him, meaningful chunks.
Question 2 of 5
According to the authors, what makes the brain and body rewire themselves?
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Right answer: Sustained effort beyond what you're used to
The brain and body change when the load pushes past what's comfortable for a long time. Calmly repeating what you already do well brings no such change.
Question 3 of 5
You've written work emails for years but they aren't getting better. What is missing, per the authors?
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Right answer: A goal and feedback on where the text is unclear
An automatic action is only maintained by repetition. Growth comes from purposeful practice: a small goal, attention, feedback and a bit of extra difficulty.
Question 4 of 5
What happened to chess masters' advantage when the pieces were placed at random?
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Right answer: Their advantage almost disappeared
A master sees not separate pieces but familiar patterns and links, that is, mental representations. A random setup offers nothing to recognize.
Question 5 of 5
What is Ericsson's criticism of the ten-thousand-hour rule?
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Right answer: There is no threshold, and not all time doing it is practice
Ten thousand hours is the average of the best violinists, not a mastery threshold. And Gladwell, in Ericsson's view, did not separate deliberate practice from any time spent on the activity.
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