SERIES FOREWORD

This volume launches the series Expertise: Research and Applications. This beginning is auspicious, for a number of reasons. First, the series will address a variety of topics and issues, all related to the central concept of expertise. The chapters in this volume cover man-machine interaction, human error and reasoning biases, ergonomic system design, cognitive simulation and theories of expert cognition, the issue of “trust” in complex systems, training issues and expert-novice differences, and social interaction among teams of workers, and so on.

Second, the series will touch base on expertise in a great variety of domains, domains such as medical diagnosis, industrial process control, air traffic control, and so on. It is fairly clear now in the research community that a great variety of domains will have to be investigated in detail for there to arise a good general understanding of expert knowledge and skill.

Third, titles in the series will present valuable reviews and summaries of background research and theory, methodological approaches, and philosophical points of view. The study of expertise, especially in the field of artificial intelligence, is filled with religious issues, issues that do not merely sidetrack us onto endless debate about what is meant by the phrase “artificial intelligence,” but issues that stimulate healthy and productive debate about methods and methodology for the study of expertise and for the development of complex systems.

Fourth, it is our fervent wish that the series be both interdisciplinary and international in scope, and so we are especially honored to launch the series with a volume that reflects the efforts undertaken by the researchers participating in the programs sponsored by the French National Scientific Research Centre (CNRS). In 1986, an international working group was established with the support of the CNRS, in recognition of the necessity for interdisciplinary and international collaboration in the advancement of technology for the greater benefit of society. Although initiated in France, the CNRS programs quickly included researchers from many countries in Europe, such as Italy, Denmark, and the United Kingdom, and then broadened to include researchers from Canada and the United States. The CNRS programs have enabled computer scientists, cognitive scientists, ergonomists, engineers, and social scientists to work together. The present volume was edited by the coordinators of a number of biannual meetings at which researchers gathered to share their work in progress. The volume is intended to provide an overview of the CNRS efforts, present the most recent developments, and express the overall philosophy of the CNRS programs.

Fifth, the titles in the series, by virtue of focus on expertise in the “real world,” will have a distinct pragmatic or applied science flavor to them — rich with the experiences of researchers and system developers who have been working “out in the trenches” to solve real and difficult problems and to create useful and usable technology. Perhaps no other aspect of research on expertise is as rewarding as the potential to make significant contributions to society and social policy. Make no mistake, there are serious outstanding challenges in the elicitation, representation, preservation, and dissemination of expert knowledge and skill; significant challenges in going from creativity to practical technological innovation. These challenges force one to deal with issues in economics and social policy as much as with the sorts of issues that are common fare in the extant literature on the psychology of expertise. The editors of this series hope that this theme of pragmatism is prominent in all of the titles to appear.

The contributions of prominent scientists, representative of various nationalities, representative of various disciplines and methodologies, the examination of various domains of expertise, the consideration of a variety of important issues and topics, the reviews of bodies of research — all these features make this inaugural title a useful and interesting addition to the library of any one who must be concerned, directly or indirectly, with the nature of expertise.

Robert R. Hoffman

Michelene T. H. Chi

K. Anders Ericsson

Gary A. Klein