Dreyfus model of skill acquisition
The Dreyfus model of skill acquisition is a theoretical framework developed by philosophers and computer scientists Stuart E. Dreyfus and Hubert L. Dreyfus, describing how individuals progress through five distinct stages—novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert—in mastering a skill through instruction and experience.[1] The model highlights a shift from rigid, rule-based decision-making in early stages to intuitive, context-sensitive expertise at advanced levels, emphasizing the limitations of formal rules in capturing human cognition.[2] Originally outlined in a 1980 technical report from the University of California, Berkeley's Operations Research Center, the model was motivated by critiques of artificial intelligence systems that relied on rule-based programming, arguing instead for the primacy of situated, intuitive human judgment.[1] It was further elaborated in the 1986 book Mind over Machine: The Power of Human Intuition and Expertise in the Era of the Computer, where the authors applied it to domains like chess, driving, and medical diagnosis to illustrate how expertise emerges from accumulated situational understanding rather than abstract computation.[3] A 2004 publication by Stuart E. Dreyfus provided a refined summary, reinforcing the model's relevance to adult learning and professional development.[2] The model's five stages represent progressive levels of skill proficiency, each characterized by distinct cognitive and perceptual approaches:- Novice: Learners depend on context-independent rules and features, applying them decomcontextually without regard for situational nuances, as in a beginner pilot strictly following instrument readings.[1][2]
- Advanced Beginner: Through initial experience, individuals recognize situational aspects (e.g., engine sounds in driving) and use situational maxims to guide actions, though still in a detached, analytic manner.[1][2]
- Competent: Performers develop a sense of priority and planfulness to cope with complexity, becoming emotionally invested in outcomes while relying on deliberate, rule-guided decisions.[1][2]
- Proficient: Intuition begins to inform perception of salient features aligned with long-term goals, with analytic deliberation used only for novel situations, as in an experienced nurse anticipating patient needs.[1][2]
- Expert: Actions arise holistically and intuitively from a vast repertoire of experiences, with no conscious rule application; for instance, a chess master immediately "sees" the best move without calculation.[1][2]