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A Sharp Test of the Portability of Expertise

Author

Listed:
  • Etan A. Green

    (The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104)

  • Justin M. Rao

    (HomeAway, Austin, Texas 78758)

  • David Rothschild

    (Microsoft Research, New York, New York 10011)

Abstract

To what extent does expertise depend on context? We observe professionals perform a task that is logically isomorphic to—but contextually distinct from—a familiar task in which they are skilled. We find that performance plummets when contextual cues disappear, suggesting that the expertise we observe on the familiar task is more heuristic than conceptual and does not travel far.

Suggested Citation

  • Etan A. Green & Justin M. Rao & David Rothschild, 2019. "A Sharp Test of the Portability of Expertise," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(6), pages 2820-2831, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:65:y:2019:i:6:p:2820-2831
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2018.3063
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    References listed on IDEAS

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