Acquisition of Skill: A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of Michigan (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

William Howard Batson

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0267686757 ISBN 13: 9780267686759

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

Explore how people learn new skills, from quick-tapping telegraphy to complex reading and handwriting tasks, and why practice shapes progress.

This scholarly study surveys classic experiments and theoretical ideas about skill acquisition. It traces how different kinds of practice create distinct learning curves, including rapid early gains, plateaus, and later improvements. The discussion blends historical experiments with modern thinking to explain how effort, motivation, and task complexity influence what we can learn and how fast we improve.

• Learn how researchers measure progress using curves that plot performance over practice sessions.
• See how lower-order habits (letters and syllables) relate to higher-order skills like reading connected discourse.
• Discover why some tasks show plateaus and how attention, effort, and emotion affect learning.

Ideal for readers interested in psychology, education, and the science behind getting better at new tasks.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0267686757
• ISBN 13: 9780267686759
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 104