85-356 Expertise: The cognitive (neuro)science of mastering almost any skill

9 units, Carnegie Mellon University

Though some of us struggle to hold a phone number in memory long enough to dial, Lu Chao recited 67,890 digits of pi from memory in 2005. With effort and effective strategies, human perception and cognition can reach great heights. But, even without much intentional practice, most people effortlessly recognize lyrics from hundreds of songs and faces of thousands of people. How does the human brain develop expertise across domains as diverse as music perception and performance, memory, sports, face recognition, and skills like chess How do experts hack their brain to achieve unusual levels of performance Is talent made, or is it inborn Can we capitalize on cognitive science and neuroscience to become better at math, wine tasting, medical diagnosis, or computer programming In this course, we will work together to answer these questions while learning how to critically evaluate, synthesize, and communicate peerreviewed research.

Prerequisites: 85-219 or 85-211

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