Several lines of evidence have questioned the contribution of innate talents to achievement. Nonetheless, it is also apparent that belief in talent is still common and affects perceptions that athletes form about themselves and fellow competitors about different levels of achievement.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BarnsleyR. H.ThompsonA. H. (1988) Birthdate and success in minor hockey: the key to the NHL. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 20, 167–176.
2.
ChamblissD. E. (1989) The mundanity of excellence: an ethnographic report on stratification and Olympic swimmers. Sociological Theory, 7, 70–86.
3.
EricssonK. A.KrampeR. T.Tesch-RömerC. (1993) The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychological Review, 100, 363–406.
4.
HelsenW. F.HodgesN. J.Van WinckelJ.StarkesJ. L. (2000) The role of talent, physical precosity and practice in the development of soccer expertise. Journal of Sports Sciences, 18, 727–736.
5.
HelsenW. F.StarkesJ. L.HodgesN. J. (1998) Team sports and the theory of deliberate practice. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 20, 12–34.
6.
HoweM. J. A.DavidsonJ. W.SlobodaJ. A. (1998) Innate talent: reality or myth?Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 21, 399–442.
7.
HyllegardR.McElroyL.KrejcaW. (2003) Perceptions of the importance of training, experience, and athletic talent for achievement in sports. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 96, 379–380.
8.
HyllegardR.RadloS. J.EarlyD. (2001) Attribution of athletic expertise by college coaches. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 92, 193–207.
9.
LehmannA. C. (1998) Historical increases in expert performance suggest large possibilities for improvement of performance without implicating innate capabilities. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 21, 419–420.
10.
LehmannA. C.EricssonK. A. (1998) The historical development of domains of expertise: performance standards and innovations in music. In SteptoeA. (Ed.), Genius and the mind. Oxford, UK: Oxford Univer. Press. Pp. 67–94.
11.
SchulzR.CurnowC. (1988) Peak performance and age among superathletes: track and field, swimming, baseball, tennis, and golf. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 43, 113–120.
12.
Tesch-RömerC. (1998) Attributed talent is a powerful myth. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 21, 427.
13.
Van RossumJ. H. A. (2004) Perceptions of determining factors in athletic achievement: an addendum to Hyllegard, et al. (2003). Perceptual and Motor Skills, 98, 81–85.
14.
Van RossumJ. H. A.GagneF. (1994) Ranking of predictors of athletic performance by top level coaches. European Journal for High Ability, 5, 68–78.
