ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to investigate cogmtlve skill acqulSltlOn on an individual basis in the context of learning to use a complex computer based application. Novice participants were trained in the application and subsequently engaged with the tool across three more sessions. During all test sessions participants verbalized their thoughts. Objective measures oftime to complete each task, amount of mouse travel and number of mouse clicks indicated all participants acquired a level of skill across sessions. Not only did the verbal data suggest individuals' cognitive processes changed as a function of skill acquisition, but that these within-subjects changes mirror some of the between-subjects expert/novice distinctions described in the literature.
