Let's stop pretending that hard work conquers all - Psychology - Salon.com

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/feature/2010/09/15/gene_lyons_talent_effort/index.html

by cycojesus • 16 years ago

4 1 16 years ago

cwb• 16 years ago

Orszag is referring to deliberate practice (http://projects.ict.usc.edu/itw/gel/EricssonDeliberatePracti...) and it's not hard work, but "hard" practice that makes people better. What that practice should entail is not always obvious though and people will benefit from good tutors and starting early in life. Thus, the author is right that not everyone could become Mozart (or whatever), but that's because they weren't in the right place at the right time, not because of genetics (which I read him as implying, but I may be wrong). Genetics do of course matter (in particular in sports), but the research on deliberate practice seems to indicate they matter less than one might think.

Importantly, for things that are less competitive than world-class sports and music (most jobs say), even moderate amounts of deliberate practice are likely to have significant benefits. So, hard work may not conquer all, but deliberate practice will give things a run for their money at least.

Let's stop pretending that hard work conquers all - Psychology - Salon.com

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