The Curse of Knowledge

The more you know about a subject, the harder it becomes to communicate your knowledge to someone who knows nothing about the topic.

Richard Randolph randolr@scf.edu

AgendaWelcome and IntroductionsWhy this matters (especially to Teachers!)Explain the modelSpecific applicationsExtended views / Similar ModelsTakeaways / Uses / ClosureAttributions and Resources

Sometimes people or events can present themselves as optical illusions

The Curse of KnowledgeCreativity requires the courage to let go of certainties~ Erich FrommExercise: Clasp your hands together, and notice which thumb is on top.Now take them apart, and put them back together with the other thumb on top. How does that feel? Why?

Examples: Bring your hands together and interlace your fingers. Notice which thumb is on top. Now reverse position and put that thumb below the other oneCross your arms. Notice which arm is on top. Now reverse them if you can!...7

What prevented the dog from walking through the open door?The Curse of KnowledgeSee in YouTube:DOGS & IMAGINARY DOORShttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngg551t6MPM

If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.~ Abraham Maslow

Unlock Your CreativityMove any single line so that the false mathematical equation becomes true.IV = III + III

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Unlock Your CreativityMove any single line so that the false mathematical equation becomes true.IV = III + IIIVI = III + III

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IXInstructions: With a single stroke of your pen, change this into 6.

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IXSWhat prevented you from seeing the answer? The Curse of Knowledge. You knew this was Roman Numerals

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The Curse of KnowledgeExperience = know how things workTrapped in old patterns

The last thing a fish discoversisWater!

OPERANT CONDITIONING Girl gets up and goes to work.In Gullivers Travels, Lemuel Gulliver visited a strange land populated by a society of astronomers who spent their day engrossed in calculating the daily movements of the heavenly bodies. After having done this diligently for many generations, they had come to believe that if they didnt perform their calculations every day, the heavenly bodies would no longer move.

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Everything that can be invented has been invented. ~ Charles H. Duell, Director of US Patent Office, 1899Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote. ~ Grover Cleveland (22nd President of the U.S.), 1905Who the hell wants to hear actors talk? ~ Harry M. Warner, Warner Bros Pictures, 1927Heavier than air flying machines are impossible. ~ Lord Kelvin, President, Royal Society, 1895The horse is here today, but the automobile is only a novelty a fad. ~ President of Michigan Savings Bank advising against investing in the Ford Motor CompanyVideo won't be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night. ~ Daryl F. Zanuck, 20th Century Fox, commenting on television in 1946Guitar groups are on the way out, Mr. Epstein.~ Dick Rowe of Decca Records, on turning down The Beatles for a recording contract, 1962I think there is a world market for maybe five computers. ~ Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943

Notice the pattern here all of these spokespersons were INSIDERS Leaders within their own fields but disruptive transformation came from outside the industry!Grover Cleveland 22nd President of the United States 1885-188915

Tappers and ListenersEach Tapper picks a song and taps out the rhythm to a listener by knocking on a tableThe Listeners job is to guess the song, based on the rhythm being tapped

Predict the odds that the listeners will guess correctly

Tappers and Listeners

Predict the odds that the listeners will guess correctlyWhat Happened?

4 Unconscious Competence

2 Conscious Incompetence

3 Conscious Competence

1 Unconscious IncompetenceFOUR STAGES OF COMPETENCELearning and PracticingDont know and dont care!Dont know Starting to careKnow it well Mastery!Abraham Maslows Stages of Learning

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Unconscious incompetence Who Cares?The individual does not understand or know how to do something and does not necessarily recognize the deficit. They may deny the usefulness of the skill. The individual must recognize their own incompetence, and the value of the new skill before moving on to the next stage. The length of time an individual spends in this stage depends on the strength of the stimulus to learn.FOUR STAGES OF COMPETENCE

Conscious incompetence Its harder than I thought!Though the individual does not understand or know how to do something, he or she does recognize the deficit, as well as the value of a new skill in addressing the deficit. Making mistakes can be integral to the learning process at this stage.FOUR STAGES OF COMPETENCE

Conscious competence I can do it when I concentrate on itThe individual understands or knows how to do something. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires concentration. It may be broken down into steps, and there is heavy conscious involvement in executing the new skill.FOUR STAGES OF COMPETENCE

Unconscious competence I know it so well I could do it in my sleep!The individual has had so much practice with a skill that it has become second nature and can be performed easily. As a result, the skill can be performed while executing another task. The individual may be able to teach it to others.FOUR STAGES OF COMPETENCE

70% of Learners give up trying to learn at this stage.

Implications & ApplicationsWhere are most Instructors?Where are most Students?What are the implications?

Implications & ApplicationsThe model is Situation / Skill specificTyping; Driving; Accounting

Implications & ApplicationsImplications for Personal GrowthLearning a new skill; renewal

Practice does NOT make perfect.Practice makes permanent.Perfect practice makes perfect.

Implications & Applications

Deliberate PracticeClaritySet a clear goal slightly beyond your current abilities, but not too far beyondList specific actions that advance you toward your goalFeedbackYou need a source of objective feedback so that you can improve on your next iterationWithout frank, even harsh, feedback, your progress will likely stall UnpleasantYou have to stretch yourself beyond where youre currently comfortableLearn to seek it, like a bodybuilder seeks muscle burn

4 Unconscious Competence

2 Conscious Incompetence

3 Conscious Competence

1 Unconscious IncompetenceFOUR STAGES OF COMPETENCELearning and PracticingDont know and dont care!Dont know Starting to careKnow it well Mastery!5 FlowAbraham Maslows Stages of LearningMihaly Csikszentmihalyi

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Whenever you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of your future.~ Deepak Chopra

Other Similar ModelsSituational Leadership II Hersey-BlanchardShu Ha Ri Japanese

Situational Leadership IIHersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership model Leaders adjust their styles depending on the readiness, or task maturity, of their followers Readiness how able, willing and confident followers are in performing tasks

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The Leader provides what the Follower needs but cannot provide for him/herself.

Japanese ModelShu Ha Ri

A person passes through three stages of gaining knowledge

Shu: In this beginning stage the student follows the teachings of one master precisely. He concentrates on how to do the task without worrying too much about the underlying theory. Ha: The student begins to branch out. With the basic practices working she now starts to learn the underlying principles and theory behind the technique. She also starts learning from other masters and integrates that learning into her practice.Ri: Now the student isn't learning from other people, but from their own practice. They create their own approaches and adapt what theyve learned to their own particular circumstances.35

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Shu Ha Ri

In the martial arts you learn a concept called Shu Ha Ri, which points to different levels of mastery.

In the Shu state you know all the rules and the forms. You repeat them, like the steps in a dance, so your body absorbs them. You dont deviate at all.

In the Ha state, once youve mastered the forms, you can make innovations. Put an extra swing in your step down the dance floor.

In the Ri state youre able to discard the forms, youve truly mastered the practice, and youre able to be creative in an unhindered way, because the knowledge of the meaning of aikido or the tango is so deeply embedded in you, your every step expresses its essence.

Sutherland, Jeff; Sutherland, Jj (2014-09-30). Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time (p. 38). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Shuhari roughly translates to first learn, then detach, and finally transcend.shu protect, obey traditional wisdom learning fundamentals, techniques, heuristics, proverbsha detach, digress breaking with tradition detachment from the illusions of selfri leave, separate transcendence there are no techniques or proverbs, all moves are natural, becoming one with spirit alone without clinging to forms; transcending the physical

SUMMARYWhy this matters (especially to Teachers!)The Conscious Competence ModelSpecific ApplicationsExtended Views / Similar Models

Your Takeaways ???

AttributionsInitially described as Four Stages for Learning Any New Skill, the theory was developed atGordon Training Internationalby its employee Noel Burch in the 1970s.It has since been frequently attributed toAbraham Maslow, although the model does not appear in his major works.

AttributionsChip Heath and Dan HeathMade to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others DieRandom House; 1st edition (January 2, 2007)

Tappers and Listeners gameIn 1990, Elizabeth Newton earned a Ph.D. in psychology at Stanford by studying a simple game where she assigned people to one of two roles: tappers or listeners.Tappers received a list of 25 well-known songs, such as Happy Birthday to You and The Star-Spangled Banner. Each tapper was asked to pick a song and tap out the rhythm to a listener (by knocking on a table). The listeners job was to guess the song, based on the rhythm being tapped. (By the way, this experiment is fun to try at home if there is a good listener candidate nearby.)The listeners job in this game is quite difficult. Over the course of Newtons experiment, 120 songs were tapped out. Listeners guessed only 2.5% of the songs3 songs out of 120.But heres what made the result worthy of a dissertation in psychology. Before the listeners guessed the name of the song, Newton asked the tappers to predict the odds that the listeners would guess correctly. They predicted that the odds were 50%.The tappers got their message across 1 time in 40, but they thought they were getting their message across 1 time in 2. Why?When a tapper taps, she is hearing the song in her head. Go ahead and try it for yourselftap out The Star Spangled Banner. It is impossible to avoid hearing the tune playing along in your head. Meanwhile, the listeners cant hear that tuneall they can hear are a bunch of disconnected taps like a kind of bizarre Morse Code.In the experiment, tappers are flabbergasted at how hard the listeners seem to be working to pick up the tune. Isnt the song obvious? The tappers expressions, when a listener guesses Happy Birthday to You for The Star-Spangled Banner, are priceless. How could you be so stupid?Its hard to be a tapper. The problem is that tappers have been given knowledge (the song title) that makes it impossible for them to imagine what it is like to lack that knowledge. When they are tapping, they cant imagine what it is like for the listeners to hear isolated taps rather than a song. This is the Curse of Knowledge. Once we know something, we find it hard to imagine what it was like not to know it. Our knowledge has cursed us. And it becomes difficult for us to share our knowledge with others, because we cant readily re-create the state of mind of our listeners.

AttributionsSutherland, JeffScrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time (p. 38) The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Sources

AttributionsMihaly Csikszentmihalyi Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (Harper Perennial Modern Classics)Harper & Row, Publishers Book of the Month Club Edition (1990)