Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise/Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool
In this book, Anders Ericsson sets the record straight on what exactly is required to become an expert in a given field. He identifies that talent is overrated and hard work rules the day.
Secrets from the New Science of Expertise is a 2016 science book by psychologist K. Anders Ericsson and science writer Robert Pool. The book summarises the findings of Ericsson’s 30-year research into the general nature and acquisition of expertise. It refers to the specific learning method used by experts to achieve superior performance in their fields and mental representations.
A significant part of the book outlines the differences between deliberate practice and related types of practice, such as purposeful practice, another efficient method of learning. Strong mental representations are identified as the essential component of expertise and performance in general. There are few discussions about intelligence quotient or the nature-versus-nurture debate. Since mental representations are acquired throughout the life of an individual, they can be learned.
What you’ll get from this book
Peak condenses 3 decades of original research to introduce an incredibly powerful approach to learning that is fundamentally different from the way people traditionally think about acquiring a skill. You’ll understand that predefined ability is non-existent. The brain is adaptable and, with training, can create skills that didn’t exist. Learning is a way of developing your potential.