Reviews for Peak Secrets from the New Science of Expertise. [electronic resource] :

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Academic and psychological scientist Ericsson and coauthor Pool tell the story of Ericsson's career investigating what distinguishes people who reach peak performance from others in their fields. Such experts include musicians, athletes, chess players, and ballet dancers. They usually purposefully go beyond personal comfort zones, have specific goals and a plan to reach them, and require feedback and ongoing motivation. The main focus of the book is on deliberate practice, the most powerful approach to learning. Deliberate practice uses mental representation, seeing in the mind what the brain is thinking. Consider a classical musician, who sight-reads a familiar piece of music to develop a mental representation of what it should sound like in performance, hearing the music in her mind. She decides in detail how she will play the piece, expertly developing a mental image of it. The detailed research the authors provide will attract those interested in psychology, and trainers and coaches may also benefit from the thought-provoking conclusions.--Whaley, Mary Copyright 2016 Booklist


Publishers Weekly
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Psychologist Ericsson (The Road to Excellence) and science writer Pool (Beyond Engineering) skillfully examine the eternal debate of nature vs. nurture with this thoughtful treatise supporting the latter. The authors posit that deliberate, focused practice is the key to learning and mastering any new skill, whether or not an underlying natural talent is present. "Generally the solution is not 'try harder,' but 'try differently,'?" they explain. Using such diverse examples as the prodigal young Mozart and a neophyte golfer hoping to make the PGA Tour, the authors explain the importance of "purposeful practice," adaptability, and mental representations-defined as structures that organize one's remembered information about an object or idea. For the truly motivated, a chapter entitled "The Road to Extraordinary" offers a step-by-step guide to acquiring new skills and "reach[ing] the frontier of human capabilities." Throughout, the authors encourage dreaming big, even when conventional wisdom might dictate otherwise. This is an empowering, encouraging work that will challenge readers to reach for excellence. Agent: Elyse Cheney, Elyse Cheney Literary Associates. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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