Becoming Expert?
Several years ago it became possible to create computer based ‘expert systems’ or ‘knowledge based systems’. These were computer programmes that carried out a dialog with a user who was seeking advice in a specific and well defined knowledge area. One of the more famous expert systems ‘MYCIN’ was able to advise within a medical knowledge domain. A user would use the system when advice was required. The system would respond by asking certain questions and providing alternative answers for the user to select from. Depending on the answers provided, the system would select new questions and in this way, develop a chain of reasoning. Ultimately, the system would offer a suggested answer to the problem being discussed which is felt to be similar to the sort of answer an expert human would provide. These expert systems were so called because they were said to function at or near the level of a human expert but within a very narrow domain, much more narrow than a human expert would be restricted to.
The expert systems were constructed from two parts. One part, a reusable part, was called the inference engine. This was a programme that used information, handled human interface and provided the reasoning chain that lead to the eventual answer. The other part of the expert system was the so called knowledge base. This was a store of information that was formatted in a particular way that made it easily useable by the inference engine. Expert Systems are still used and can be very valuable in certain situations.
In the case just described, it was possible to take a store of information and create what was termed a computer expert. Furthermore, this information could be transferred to and used by any other computer that also possessed the inference engine. This meant that for a computer to become an expert, it was only necessary to load in the necessary information where an inference engine programme was already loaded. In addition, the information was isolated from similar information and could be used without any background information. This meant that a computer based expert system could diagnose a difficult blood based infection (at an expert level) but could not tell you what to do if you cut your finger. If there were a human medical expert that behaved like this, we would probably not call them an expert. In fact it would be difficult to imagine how a human could acquire such detailed knowledge of blood infections without knowing what to do with a cut finger.
Humans do not generally acquire knowledge by having it loaded into the brain. It is certainly possible for a human to remember many isolated things or answers to certain questions. Indeed, if enough answers to questions in a particular domain are learned then the human may be able to function like a computer based expert system. But learning answers to questions is not usually what expertise is considered to be. An expert will probably have built their knowledge up over many years of work in one knowledge domain. A novice will learn simpler things within the knowledge domain. When they have mastered these simpler things they will be ready to tackle more complex things and succeed at these. Once this is achieved they may go on to yet more complex or demanding things and in this way their knowledge is built up. In this case, built up, means that new knowledge is learned because the person already knows things and without this prior knowledge the new knowledge may be difficult or impossible to understand. The word understand is key here and will be revisited later.
It has been estimated that it would take about 10 years for a person to become an expert if they work predominantly in one knowledge area. Herbert Simon in his book “Science of the Artificial” (1996) discussed the acquisition of expert level knowledge in terms of how much information this would involve and how long it could be reasonably acquired in. This attempt at an analytical estimate of expert knowledge acquisition arrived at the intuitively correct 10 years for a dedicated individual. Not everyone that works in a knowledge area for 10 years becomes an expert however. Why is this so? Thinking about this question may clarify how people do become expert. There are probably several reasons that someone working predominantly in one knowledge area for 10 years or more does not become and expert. These reasons may involve the following issues:
- Motivation or interest
- Exposure
- Capacity
I will discuss these issues in turn. The reason that I have used two words for the first issue and only one for the other two is that I am not certain which of the words is correct for issue 1. I think that the words interest and motivation are important to the question of becoming an expert so I will deal with them a little more fully later. If someone is disinterested and not motivated within the knowledge area that they work then they will probably not become an expert in it. They will probably just do the minimum necessary to satisfy whatever working constraints and goals there are and spend no more time than is necessary thinking about the area. Since they would probably not think actively about the area they would probably remember much less of it. In contrast, someone that is both interested and motivated within a knowledge area will probably think about why things happen will probably have ‘what if’ thoughts and will probably spend more time within the knowledge area than is actually called for.
Another reason that someone that works in a knowledge area for 10 years or more may not become an expert is because they may not get the right sort of variety within or exposure to the area. Consider a joiner that is only ever allowed to work on constructing roof frames for semi detached houses. Doing this for 10 years would certainly make the joiner an expert in roof frames for semi detached houses but that joiner would never have made a cabinet or a drawer or a shelf. This makes the question of how narrow expertise can be whilst still qualifying for that label. Another joiner that was only allowed to make mortise and tenon joints but never to see a completed article or allowed to know what the joint was for would have a very restricted area of expertise. If someone asked that joiner, ‘will a mortise and tenon joint be strong enough for this application?’ the joiner would have no way of knowing the answer. These may be extreme examples but they do illustrate the point that having the correct exposure to the knowledge area and a variety of tasks to perform within it are essential in the creation of an expert.
The third reason mentioned concerns capacity. By this I mean mental and possibly physical capacity. All people are not born equal and some that can excel in one area can only attain a modest level in another. The reason that this is mentioned third is that I believe that it is the least important of the three reasons. A mental and or physical capacity deficit will have probably prevented the person from reaching a position that they could become an expert from. That means that they may not get a certain sort of job or develop a particular interest. This also means that most people must really have the capacity to become an expert. It may mean that some have to try harder than others. That is why the first reason stated is motivation and interest. We can read about certain individuals that seem to have a natural ability that most of us do not have. This may be a natural capacity or talent. Leonardo De Vinci was a person that seemed to become an expert in many areas of science and art. He also spent many more hours pursuing these interests than would be considered normal. He was probably driven by not just interest but fascination. His 10 years of effort in any area was probably achieved in 3 or 4 years. He seemed to create his own exposure opportunities to knowledge areas because he was driven by his interest. Finally, he certainly had the mental capacity for expertise. However, many human experts are not like Leonardo but they still manage to reach very high standards of knowledge within their knowledge domain. Capacity is not always a barrier, it may simply represent a steeper slope.
So becoming an expert can be seen to involve several things. The first is spending time learning. The second is motivation and interest, that is, real interest not something driven by a desire to earn more money etc. The third is exposure and this is why an apprenticeship type learning scheme is good at producing experts. A wise master will give a student the best chances. Finally, there is the issue of capacity. This relates to how hard it will be for a particular individual to attain a level of expertise.