Think of the read-outs on the speedometer, tachometer and other gauges in an automobile, or of the objective measurements of ingredients and cooking times in a recipe.
Expert drivers do not note that there is a curve ahead, recall and apply the rule that one should decelerate to 20mph when entering a curve, and then apply a further rule in order to decide whether to hit the brake or lift their foot from the accelerator; rather they "feel in the seat of their pants" when they should slow down and they can immediately tell if this is a situation that calls for hitting the brakes rather than just easing off the accelerator.
The emergence of an intuitive perspective, a direct sense of what is relevant and called for in a given situation, characterizes stages four and five of the Skill Model (proficiency and expertise).
Novice cooks will appeal step-by-step to the rules, procedures, and objective measurements of a recipe as they haltingly figure out a dish to make with the unfamiliar contents of a cupboard.
An over-reliance on the conscious application of rules and procedures leads a learner to stall at the stage of competence and prevents intuitive perspectives from emerging.
According to the Skill Model, to advance to proficiency and expertise, the learner must take the risk of letting go of the application of rules and procedures, thus involving themselves more directly and emotionally in the outcome of their actions.
They have had enough experience to recognize the smell of burning oil and can now apply the maxim that “the smell of burning oil usually means the heat is too high.” An advanced beginner chess player begins to recognize such aspects of situation such as "weakened king’s side” and can apply the maxim to “attack a weakened king’s side.”[4] The performance of an advanced beginner is more sophisticated than novice, but it is still analytical.
Competent performers show improved coordination and anticipation but may rigidly stick to chosen perspectives even when circumstances change.
When a perspective intuitively occurs to them, proficient nurses can instantly sense a patient's deterioration before vital signs change.
The transition to expertise requires further letting go of rules and procedures while gaining more direct experience learning which intuited perspectives work in which kind of situation.
An expert chef creates dishes without recipes, intuitively adjusting techniques and ingredients based on specific circumstances.
For example, Cézanne expanded the possibilities for the painting of form and perspective, Stephen Curry altered the style of play in basketball by making the 3-point shot central rather than marginal, and B.B.
King transformed the space of possibilities in music by harnessing the previously marginal capacity of the electric guitar to sustain notes.
Masters identify overlooked aspects of a practice and experiment with new approaches, accepting short-term drops in particular performances for long-term expansions in their intuition.
[3] In turn, the challenge posed by look-ahead search in chess is addressed within the scope of the skill model in a 1982 article by Stuart Dreyfus.
[10] With respect to the question of experts calculating into the future, Dreyfus argues that chess is not a suitable example from which to generalize about skillful action at large: "The DeGroot reference to the well-known practice of the chess player of calculating out into the future should not be interpreted as evidence that skilled decision-makers in other domains do likewise.