Are Cognitive Skills Context-Bound?

1989/01/01 by DN PERKINS, Gavriel Salomon · 4 citations
Medicine · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Clinical Reasoning and Diagnostic Skills #Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods #Education and Critical Thinking Development

paper · doi:10.3102/0013189x018001016

openalex publication_date 1989/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22

Abstract

Effective problem solving, sound decision making, insightful invention—do such aspects of good thinking depend more on deep expertise in a specialty than on reflective awareness and general strategies? Over the past thirty years, considerable research and controversy have surrounded this issue. An historical sketch of the arguments for the strong specialist position and the strong generalist position suggests that each camp, in its own way, has oversimplified the interaction between general strategic knowledge and specialized domain knowledge. We suggest a synthesis: General and specialized knowledge function in close partnership. We explore the nature of this partnership and consider its implications for educational practice.

Citations

• The influence of improvement in one mental function upon the efficiency of other functions. (I).
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