Wheelie

(wheel·​ie | \ ˈhwē-lē, ˈwē-\)

: a maneuver in which a wheeled vehicle (such as a bicycle) is momentarily balanced on its rear wheel or wheels

Problem Definition

It is easy to say, “I will learn how to do wheelies on a bicycle.” But what does that mean? I already said that I can get my front wheel off the ground, just not for very long. By the Merriam-Webster definition at the top of this page, I’m done! However, my current ability does not hold up to the definitions of having a “skill” that we find in the psychology literature. Similarly, the general goal of “learning how to do wheelies on a bicycle” does not hold up to a scientific approach to the problem. So, there is still some work to do on both fronts.

“Learn” and “Skill”

What does it mean to “learn” and what exactly is the “skill” of doing wheelies?

Skill acquisition is the development of a “privileged” knowledge in long term memory consisting of a set of associations between a family of events and relevant behaviors that are “not innate” (Creelman & Kirsner, 2005). Johnson and Proctor define a skill as “goal-directed, well-organized behavior that is acquired through practice and performed with economy of effort” (2017).

So, when I say that, “I will learn how to do wheelies on a bicycle,” I mean that I will develop an understanding of how to behave in order to keep my front wheel off the ground. This understanding will be made up of a knowledge about what a successful wheelie looks/feels like, a refined perceptual ability to recognize cues of the factors that lead to successful/unsuccessful wheelies, and the actions I must take in response to those factors. What’s more, I will be able to apply this understanding without much cognitive effort. “Learning” will be illustrated by improvements in performance in these abilities.

References

wheelie. 2019. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved January 21, 2019, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wheelie.

Johnson, A. & Proctor, R.W. (2017). Skill acquisition & training: Achieving expertise in simple and complex tasks. New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Speelman, C. & Kirsner, K. (2005). Beyond the learning curve: The construction of mind. New York, NY: Oxford University Press Inc.