MICROGENETIC ANALYSIS OF 1ST STEPS IN CHILDRENS ACQUISITION OF EXPERTISE ON SHOREBIRDS

A microgenetic analysis of the earliest steps in acquiring beginning levels of expertise on shorebirds was conducted. In Experiment 1, 16 5-year-old girls were given information about the names and attributes of 14 shorebirds during 4 sessions. Knowledge of names and attributes increased over time, and production of attributes surpassed production of names. Discrepancies between results from direct and indirect tests of attribute knowledge suggested a transitional period in the early development of expertise. Experiment 2 involved a case analysis of a 4-year-old boy who was an expert on other kinds of birds. Both experiments revealed the importance of individual characteristics to rate of expertise acquisition: Children with higher levels of general intelligence and greater levels of domain-related knowledge acquire expertise faster.