The Role of Expertise Research and Human Factors in Capturing, Explaining, and Producing Superior Performance

Abstract

Objectives: The goal of this article is to identify some of the major trends and findings in expertise research and their connections to human factors. Background: Progress in the study of superior human performance has come from improved methods of measuring expertise and the development of better tools for revealing the mechanisms that support expert performance, such as protocol analysis and eye tracking. Methods: We review some of the challenges of capturing superior human performance in the laboratory and the means by which the expert performance approach may overcome such challenges. We then discuss applications of the expert performance approach to a handful of domains that have long been of interest to human factors researchers. Results: Experts depend heavily on domain-specific knowledge for superior performance, and such knowledge enables the expert to anticipate and prepare for future actions more efficiently. Training programs designed to focus learners' attention on task-related knowledge and skills critical to expert performance have shown promise in facilitating skill acquisition among nonexperts and in reducing errors by experts on representative tasks. Conclusions: Although significant challenges remain, there is encouraging progress in domains such as sports, aviation, and medicine in understanding some of the mechanisms underlying human expertise and in structuring training and tools to improve skilled performance. Applications: Knowledge engineering techniques can capture expert knowledge and preserve it for organizations and for the development of expert systems. Understanding the mechanisms that underlie expert performance may provide insights into the structuring of better training programs for improving skill and in designing systems to support professional expertise.