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Expertise and Individual Differences

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Handbook of Giftedness in Children

Abstract

There are several types of expert knowledge, including factual (declarative), skills (procedural), and tacit knowledge. Expertise represents a high level of achievement in one or more of these domains. These types of knowledge are described, along with how they are acquired, and how they are maintained. The structure of cognitive individual-differences constructs of achievement, aptitude, and intelligence is also examined. Together with interests and motivation, investment of cognitive resources represents important determinants of both the level and domains of expertise that may be acquired. Strategies for identifying student potential for acquiring expertise are reviewed, along with the use of various types of assessments, and expectations for talent identification for medium-term and long-term predictions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Phillip L. Ackerman

  2. Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA

    Joni M. Lakin

Authors
  1. Phillip L. Ackerman
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  2. Joni M. Lakin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Phillip L. Ackerman .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Education, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA

    Steven I. Pfeiffer

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Ackerman, P.L., Lakin, J.M. (2018). Expertise and Individual Differences. In: Pfeiffer, S. (eds) Handbook of Giftedness in Children. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77004-8_5

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