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Comment by tokenadult | Hacker News Reader

[citation needed]

I really mean that. If you have evidence for that belief, please share it here. The leading world expert on the subject of development of expertise, K. Anders Ericsson,

http://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/ericsson.dp.html

is decidedly not of that opinion, after having seen many examples of introducing systematic deliberate practice into the environments of people who formerly didn't have opportunities for such practice.

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Even if you examine a "deprived" group (the kind professors are always trying to make excuses for) such as inner-city kids, you will find stark differences between talent and drive from one person to another. Why does one boy spend 10,000 hours practicing basketball or music, while the others watch television all day?

Maybe nobody introduced "systematic deliberate practice" to them? Or, you know, maybe some people are just lazier than others.

Why does one boy spend 10,000 hours practicing basketball or music, while the others watch television all day?

Good question. Have you examined any research on the issue? What sources do you recommend?

Sorry I don't have a citation for that. As far as I know it hasn't been researched. I was mostly being flippant but I'm not ready to let go of the concept of Talent. There are people who are no more knowledgeable or experienced than I who are way better than me at stuff.

Being able to spend that much time in that focused of an effort seems like a talent or perhaps a "condition" like Asperger's.

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