Book Reading #43 - Things That Make Us Smart

Title:

Chapter 1: A Human-Centered Technology 

Chapter 2: Experiencing the World

Reference:

Summary:

Chapter 1: A Human-Centered Technology

This chapter was about the benefits and hindrances of technology in terms of our cognition.  Norman points out that much of the technology we use today (mostly looking at entertainment) reduces the intelligence level of the observer.  There is an insert of an article or presentation from the 1993 World's Fair.  In it, the claim is that science an engineering has tended towards the more abstract and analytical analysis.  His proposal is to counter this by designing with the human in mind - keeping the integral methods that make the human a part of the design.  He says that when tasks get automated even by a person the overall outcome of the product goes down due to lack of experience by the worker.

Norman then points to two type of cognition which he will focus on later in the book.  The first is experiential cognition, that which is a reactive cognition or way of doing things.  This is found in experts of something because they are able to immediately react to a situation in their field with results that are beneficial.  Reflective cognition, on the other hand, would be the well thought out, analyzed, incremental way of thinking which is needed in order to have innovation.

Chapter 2: Experiencing the World

This chapter discusses how education is not quite right.  It speaks of both the classroom setting and museums as lacking.  When they try to use experiential ways of teaching (multimedia) it usually just entertains and the user is devoid of reflection.  Norman notes that "flow" is essential in learning.  This is something that we experience in recreation - he notes video games as a prime example.  He notes again that experiential thought is key to skilled behavior, but reflective thought is necessary to learn.  The difference in a comparison between playing and practicing.  In participating in a game experiential thought is needed for quick reaction, but practicing reflection is needed in order to fine-tune skills.  Motivation is key to getting people to truly learn.  Norman says that we need to "marry" the entertainments capture of our attention with the knowledge of what to teach from the teachers.

Three kinds of learning include accretion, the accumulation of facts, tuning, honing a skill, and restructuring, or where new conceptual skills are required.

Discussion:
The idea of classifying the types of cognition into two is an interesting concept in terms of focusing on certain aspects of cognition.  It was interesting how he labeled professionals as those who need experiential cognition in order to work really well.  It didn't really touch explicitly on how experts do, in fact, need reflective cognition in order to attain their expertise.