Evidence that domain-general perceptual-cognitive skills distinguish athletes is mixed; expertise appears domain-specific¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · reviewr2·q2
Currency · newest study 2017 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q2 i? Evidence for individual differences in domain-generic basic visual and cognitive functions distinguishing experts is relatively weak or mixed, suggesting expertise arises through adaptations specific to the target domain. → Williams 2017
Evidence¶
Williams 2017¶
Williams, A. M., Fawver, B., & Hodges, N. J. (2017). Using the 'expert performance approach' as a framework for examining and enhancing skill learning: Improving understanding of how experts learn. Frontline Learning Research, 5(3), 139–154. https://doi.org/10.14786/flr.v5i3.267
q2 · i? · the article prints no effect size for this finding · review · r2
The review reports, citing Voss et al. (2010), that evidence for domain-generic skill differences is "relatively weak or at best mixed", whereas experts are consistently differentiated from novices on domain-specific perceptual-cognitive skills such as picking up biological motion, pattern recognition, and knowledge of situational probabilities. It attributes domain specificity to Ericsson and Kintsch (1995).
"In contrast, evidence pointing towards individual differences in measures of basic visual and cognitive function s (i.e., domain-generic skills) is relatively weak or at best mixed ( Voss, Kramer, Basak, Prakash, Roberts, 2010)."
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Prior Knowledge — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Related Claims¶
- In two secondary-school writing studies, peer reviewers' own performance predicted how helpful their feedback was but not how accurately it identified problems — related
- The report attributes to Glaser et al. (1985) that skilled and less skilled avionics technicians generated plans equally often but differed in plan quality, with experts deploying domain-particularized strong methods — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
- Deliberate practice research is largely correlational with large unexplained variability in accumulated practice hours — related
- Expert teachers' fixations are significantly more focused (less dispersed) than novices' when viewing classroom scenes, irrespective of video type — related
- Novices risk practicing motor skills incorrectly with mental simulation, while experts benefit across task types — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
expertise-domain-specific-not-general |
title |
Evidence that domain-general perceptual-cognitive skills distinguish athletes is mixed; expertise appears domain-specific |
description |
Evidence that domain-general perceptual-cognitive skills distinguish athletes is mixed; expertise appears domain-specific |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
weak |
newest_evidence |
2017 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-09-26 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — williams-2017 |
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