A team of engineers from MIT has made significant strides in understanding how tacit knowledge—skills that are often difficult to articulate—can be accessed and taught. Their study, published in the Journal of Neural Engineering on March 15, 2024, explores how unconscious know-how can be identified and leveraged to enhance learning, particularly in tasks requiring visual classification.
Understanding Tacit Knowledge
Tacit knowledge is the type of expertise that individuals may possess but struggle to express verbally. For example, while a seasoned cyclist can explain the basics of riding a bike, the subtle balance required to stay upright is often instinctual and hard to articulate. The researchers at MIT sought to determine if this hidden knowledge could be made explicit, enabling novices to reach expert levels more quickly.
During their experiments, the researchers studied 30 volunteers tasked with classifying images comprising various shapes and patterns. As the participants engaged with over 120 images, their eye movements and brain activity were meticulously recorded. These measurements aimed to uncover shifts in focus and cognitive attention, revealing how participants unconsciously honed their skills.
Interestingly, the results showed that while volunteers became more accurate in classifying the images over time, they were unaware of the specific shifts in their attention. The study suggests that this unconscious ability to focus on relevant aspects of an image is a form of tacit knowledge that can be harnessed for improved learning outcomes.
Revealing the Hidden Skills
According to Alex Armengol-Urpi, a research scientist at MIT, “If we can make that knowledge explicit, we can then allow for it to be transferred easier, which can help in education and learning in general.” This finding could have far-reaching implications for various fields requiring keen observational skills, including medicine, sports, and technical trades.
Utilizing advanced techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG) to measure brainwave activity, the team discovered that participants initially focused on all parts of the images. As their understanding grew, their attention naturally shifted to the relevant side of each image. This shift occurred without any conscious effort on their part, indicating a deep-seated, tacit understanding of the task at hand.
When participants were later shown visual maps of their gaze patterns, they demonstrated further improvement in classifying new images. This suggests that making tacit knowledge explicit not only aids in understanding but also enhances performance.
Armengol-Urpi and his colleagues, including Andrés F. Salazar-Gomez and Pawan Sinha, are excited about the potential applications of their findings. They are currently exploring how similar methods can be applied to skill-based activities such as glassblowing and table tennis, as well as in diagnosing medical imaging.
The concept of tacit knowledge was first introduced by scientist and philosopher Michael Polyani, who suggested that our understanding often extends beyond our ability to articulate it. Since then, numerous studies have confirmed the importance of tacit knowledge in mastering various skills, from interpreting medical images to recognizing subtle cues in animal behavior.
The implications of this research are profound. By identifying and harnessing hidden skills, educators and trainers may enhance learning experiences across numerous domains, making it easier for individuals to attain expert levels more swiftly and effectively.
This groundbreaking study was supported in part by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, highlighting the intersection of technology and education in advancing human expertise.
