On p. 249, Shenk mentions in a footnote referring to p. 62
on both the Wolfgangs and the Polgars, two sets of siblings. Each set of
siblings was taught a skill (music for Wolfgangs, chess for Polgars); the
younger siblings were taught the skill earlier. There was a positive
correlation between how early a skill was learned and how skilled they became –
the earlier a child was taught, the better they became at the skill. Why does
being exposed to a skill earlier lead to more development of the skill? Do you
think all skills be learned through teaching at a very young age, or are there
skills were this would not be the case? In your response be sure to include
analysis of both sets of siblings as well as the learning discussed in Campbell
Section 51.2 (p. 1125).
(Brandon Axe brandona0701@aol.com)
Learning skills at a young age is more effective than learning skills at an old age. This is due to imprinting, in which there is a set amount of team during early age that an animal (or person in this case) can learn certain skills that will remain with that animal for the rest of its life. This time of learning is called the sensitive period, or critical period (Campbell 1126). Thus, the younger sibling can become much more skilled than the older sibling because the younger sibling is taught within the critical period for a longer time. This effect is easily seen in the case of the Polgars, in which "as each girl was exposed to chess earlier than her elder sister, she subsequently became the better player"(Shenk 240). The Polgars excelled at chess because of the age at which they were taught. Furthermore, the greater success or each subsequently younger sibling demonstrates that the age someone begins learning a skill is the most important factor for excellence in that skill. Similarly, Wolfgang became a better musician than Nannerl because he learned more musical skills during the critical period. Therefore, he learned the behaviors necessary for music better. The Eugene T. Moore School of Education of Clemson University and the College of Education of the University of South Carolina state that early learning in mathematics is critical for building the skills necessary for excellence in math later in life. Thus, early learning is important for acquiring excellence in many different skills.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there are some skills that a person is better off learning at an older age. In fact, David Shenk states that "child prodigies and adult superachievers are very often not the same people (Shenk 85). Some skills are simply too far beyond a child to be beneficially learned at such a young age. For example, weight training cannot be started at a young age, as such training would activate gene expression that would stunt the child's growth. Instead, the child must wait until adolescence, when he or she is done or almost done growing in height, so that the teenager now has the largest amount of body possible to build muscle in. Had the child started weight training earlier, he or she could never have reached his or her maximum potential strength.
Such learning, especially through imprinting, relates to the biological theme of the interdependence of nature. The interdependence of nature means that all abiotic and biotic factors impact each others in ways both important for the survival of the individual and the survival of the community. Thus, every individual is affected by its environment. So, people are dependent on their environment for the development of skills at an early age. An environment filled with music will improve a young child's music skills. Furthermore, a child depends on those around him or her to take active interest in that skill for the child to improve. Therefore, through competition or direct teaching, the child depends on being surrounded by people dedicated to the same skill in order to reach his or her full potential in that skill. The environment a child grows up in is critical for learning certain skills, and the earlier a child is exposed to an activity, the better the child will become at that skill.
Aaron Zalewski (bitquest@yahoo.com)
Part 1
ReplyDeleteSkills are not merely acquired; to obtain a skill requires dedication, devotion, and practice. In the case of the Mozart siblings and the Polgar siblings, their skills of music and chess, respectively, developed at different rates and intensities with regards to the time in which the skills were first practiced. As such, Shenk helps to propose the notion that there is a positive relationship between the time in which a skill is taught and overall success with that skill as one grows.
Environmental interactions at different stages in one’s childhood help to develop skills. Both sets of siblings received equal amounts of parental investment. The Mozart’s father, Lepold was an expert music teacher “centuries ahead of his time” (Shenk 62). As such, “the [younger son Wolfgang] got everything Nannel, [his older sister,] got” (Shenk 62) with regards to their father’s investment in their musical development. Similarly, the three Polgar sisters were raised by “exceptional chess players” (Shenk 249) who devoted themselves to the success of their daughters. As a result of the similarities between the siblings with regards to parental investment, this key feature of development is not to explain why the younger siblings became the most skilled in their respective fields.
The true reason behind the discrepancies in overall skill lies in the phenomenon of imprinting: “the formation at a specific stage in life of a long-lasting behavioral response to a particular individual or object” (Campbell 1126). The distinctive characteristic of imprinting is its critical period, which is a specific amount of time in which certain behaviors and responses may be learned (Campbell 1126). While the critical period is not the only time in which skills may be learned, as its name implies, it is the most critical timeframe in which the skills can be learned. When we imprint, we tend to do so off of our parents. Considering all of these details, there appears to be a reason for why Wolfgang and Judit, the youngest siblings of the two sets, became the most talented: they simply were taught during the critical period for the longest amount of time. Because of the fundamental importance of the critical period, being exposed to more music and chess during the time allowed for the two to develop a larger responsiveness and overall ability with regards to their specific skills. As Wolfgang and Judit “exited” the critical period with a larger and more complex skill base than their older siblings, their skills were able to grow even larger with increased development. Thus, the depth at which Wolfgang and Judit were able to develop their skills was maximized from an earlier age, setting the stage for their successful futures.
While there may be some skills that can be entirely learned at young ages, such as basic manners and motor skills, a large percentage of skills require time to fully develop; however, all skills can begin to be taught early during the critical period. Thus as the children then grow, they are able to further expand on the basic knowledge that is already there, accelerating the process of skill development. For example, the Center for Applied Linguistics explains the importance of children learning two languages, as bilingualism demonstrates higher levels of cognitive ability (CAL). The CAL calls for children to “learn a second language from an early age” (CAL). While it is impossible for a child to fully develop an advanced linguistic ability in just a year or two, beginning the fundamentals of the certain language during the critical period will allow for greater success with the language in the future.
Ethan Homedi (ethanhomedi@yahoo.com)
Part 2
ReplyDeleteThe constant nature of interacting with the surrounding environment to help develop and advance skills relates to the theme of interdependence in nature. Because of Judit growing up in an environment filled with chess and strategic thinking, her surroundings provided her with the ability to adapt to and learn from those ideas. When placed in a positive and supportive environments, we as humans are able to accomplish enormous talents.
I agree with Aaron’s overall argument, in which he states much like I do that the critical period is of upmost importance in helping to develop our skills. I like his example in which he explains that the individuals around us also help to enhance our skill development. While the entire concept of imprinting revolves around parents, having other positive and supportive individuals elicits larger degrees of motivation and thus overall success in the particular skill.
For both the Mozart and Polgar siblings, the advanced skills of the youngest kids is acquainted with a larger amount of learning during the critical period of imprinting. As such, there is a positive relationship between skillfulness and earliness of practice and development of said skill.
(http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/ncrcds04.html)
Ethan Homedi (ethanhomedi@yahoo.com)
To address Aaron’s comment, I agree that learning a skill at a younger age would lead to better and faster development of that skill. However, I believe other factors also contribute to the accelerated development of “young prodigies.”
ReplyDeleteAccording to David Shenk, culture and the need to adapt to the environment also help an individual improve certain skills. For example, he mentions throughout his book that “success begets success.” Specifically, he uses the Italian Renaissance as an example of this. Could it be that “the competitive spirit known as agonism” spurred on both the Wolfgangs and the Polgars to excel at such a young age at chess and music (148)?
Relating back to the theme of evolution and adaptations to environmental pressure, these children (the Polgars and the Wolfgangs) probably inherited parts of the epigenomes that their parents had.(Courtesy of http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/classicalcomposers/p/mozart.htm). For example, Mozart’s father, Leopold, was also an accomplished musician and composer who was also proficient at violin and organ. No doubt Mozart’s skill at the violin and music composition in general was somewhat attributed to his father’s musically-inclined epigenome. To relate back to things we have already discussed in class, because epigenomes are passed down to children from their parents and are genetically based, we could also call certain epigenomes selective advantages. For example, a child whose parents were very gifted at running would also have certain genes that could be turned on and off to make him better at running. And in a Kenyan culture, he’d be better at cattle-raiding. And “the more cattle a man had, the more wives he could pay for” (103). Therefore, a faster runner would have a selective advantage to survive and reproduce.
(Tina Ding: yuning.tina.ding@gmail.com)