ABSTRACT
The editors of this book have explained their two goals. The primary goal is “to explore the tacit aspects of competence in a number of different disciplines.” By “tacit aspects” they mean “knowledge and skills that guide behavior but are not readily available to introspection.” “Much of the knowledge that people use to succeed on the job,” they stated, “is acquired implicitly-without intention to learn or awareness of having learned.” The secondary goal is “to relate tacit aspects of competence to the problem of developing (or developing into) the effective practitioner.” The authors of chapter 1 and I discuss these matters in the context of the legal profession. In chapter 1, Marchant and Robinson addressed the relevant current research in psychology; in this chapter, I examine the acquisition of tacit knowledge from the perspective of a practitioner.
