Animal Experimentation

portia posted an offhand comment about animal testing which prompted a rather shrill response from me. Read the initial discussion here.

( Read my response here. )

Expert Performance: Its Structure and Acquisition

http://www.cebiz.org/cds/ericsson_charness.pdf

Expert Performance
Its Structure and Acquisition
K. Anders Ericsson
Department of Psychology Florida State University
Neil Charness
Department of Psychology University of Waterloo
ABSTRACT
Counter to the common belief that expert performance reflects innate abilities and capacities, recent
research in different domains of expertise has shown that expert performance is predominantly mediated by
acquired complex skills and physiological adaptations. For elite performers, supervised practice starts at
very young ages and is maintained at high daily levels for more than a decade. The effects of extended
deliberate practice are more far-reaching than is commonly believed. Performers can acquire skills that
circumvent basic limits on working memory capacity and sequential processing. Deliberate practice can
also lead to anatomical changes resulting from adaptations to intense physical activity. The study of expert
performance has important implications for our understanding of the structure and limits of human
adaptation and optimal learning.

( Read more... )

Genes and Training for Athletic Performance Revisited

http://www.sportsci.org/jour/0102/jb.htm

Genes and Training for Athletic Performance Revisited

Joseph Baker

School of Physical and Health Education, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada. Email: 9jrb=AT=qlink.queensu.ca

Sportscience 5(2), sportsci.org/jour/0102/jb.htm, 2001 (2032 words)

Reviewed by Keith Davids, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, Manchester Metropolitan University, Alsager, Cheshire ST7 2HL, UK



There is evidence that genetic factors account for around 50% of variability in human physical performance. However, data supporting this position are not definitive. Research from studies of sport expertise indicates that differences between experts and non-experts in cognitive sports are found only in domain-specific, information-processing abilities that are primarily the result of training. Future research should examine an interactionist perspective to consider the relative contribution of genes and training to performance. Reprint pdf · Reprint doc


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In Support of Student Pair-Programming

http://pairprogramming.com/WilliamsUpchurch.pdf

In Support of Student Pair-Programming
Laurie Williams
Department of Computer Science
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7534
williams@csc.ncsu.edu
Richard L. Upchurch
Computer and Information Science Department
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
N. Dartmouth, MA 02747-2300
rupchurch@umassd.edu
“Knowledge is commonly socially constructed, through
collaborative efforts toward shared objectives or by
dialogues and challenges brought about by differences in
persons' perspectives." [1]
ABSTRACT
Industry, particularly those following the eXtreme
Programming (XP) methodology [2], has popularized the
use of pair-programming. The pair-programming model
has also been found to be beneficial for student
programmers. Initial quantitative and qualitative results,
which will be discussed in this paper, demonstrate that the
use of pair-programming in the computer science
classroom enhances student learning and satisfaction and
reduces the frustration common among students.
Additionally, the use of pair-programming relieves the
burden on the educators because students no longer view
the teaching staff as their sole form of technical
information. We explore the nature of pair-programming,
then examine the ways such a practice may enhance
teaching and learning in computer science education.

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