Précis of The Psychology of Creative Performance and Expertise

Abstract

The study of expertise has recently moved into an exciting phase. While previous research had a narrow focus on deliberate practice versus innate aptitude, recent multifactorial models of expertise development have breathed new life into contemporary research. Reflecting these opportunities, the Psychology of Creative Performance and Expertise explores our understanding of the wide range of factors contributing to greatness in creative domains. With the intention of expanding the conversation around expertise, the book transcends traditional fields such as chess, sports, and music, exploring the intersection of expertise with creativity and the performing arts. The applied chapters therefore cover more unfamiliar fields, including extreme-memory athletes, dance, creative writing, acting, art, and STEM, as well as the more conventional domains of mind games and music. Each applied chapter explores the psychological and opportunity factors that shape success within these domains, offering a close look at how creative experts develop, thrive, or falter. In other dedicated chapters, the book also examines the facilitators of creative performance, including aesthetic sensitivity, creativity, and mental imagery, as well as the obstacles to performance such as burnout, procrastination, and gender-related challenges. The exploration concludes by engaging with pressing issues facing expertise, including the effect of artificial intelligence (AI). Addressing a gap in the market for an approachable guide to the multidimensional complexities of expertise development, this book is suitable as a resource for final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students across a range of disciplines. However, given that the book uniquely synthesizes material from the creativity, gifted and talented, and expertise literatures in a number of unfamiliar domains, it should provide fresh insights for newcomers and seasoned scholars alike