A Case for Cognitive Entrenchment: To Achieve Optimal Best, Taking Into Account the Importance of Perceived Optimal Efficiency and Cognitive Load Imposition
One interesting observation that we may all concur with is that many experts, or those who are extremely knowledgeable and well-versed in their respective domains of functioning, become “mediocre” and lose their “touch of invincibility” over time. For example, in the world of professional football,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.662898/full |
| _version_ | 1819145479463632896 |
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| author | Huy P. Phan Bing Hiong Ngu |
| author_facet | Huy P. Phan Bing Hiong Ngu |
| author_sort | Huy P. Phan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | One interesting observation that we may all concur with is that many experts, or those who are extremely knowledgeable and well-versed in their respective domains of functioning, become “mediocre” and lose their “touch of invincibility” over time. For example, in the world of professional football, it has been argued that an elite football coach would lose his/her air of invincibility and demise after 10–15 years at the top. Why is this the case? There are different reasons and contrasting viewpoints that have been offered to account for this observed demise. One notable concept, recently introduced to explain this decline, is known as cognitive entrenchment, which is concerned with a high level of stability in one's domain schemas (Dane, 2010). This entrenchment or “situated fixation,” from our proposition, may act to deter the flexibility and/or willingness of a person to adapt to a new context or situation. Some writers, on this basis, have argued that cognitive entrenchment would help explain the demise of some experts and/or why some students have difficulties adapting to new situations. An initial inspection would seem to indicate that cognitive entrenchment is detrimental, potentially imparting evidence of inflexibility, difficulty, and/or the unwillingness of a person to adapt to new contexts (Dane, 2010). This premise importantly connotes that expertise may constrain a person from being flexible, innovative, and/or creative to ongoing changes. In this analysis, an expert may experience a cognitive state of entrenchment, facilitated in this case by his/her own experience, knowledge, and/or theoretical understanding of a subject matter. Having said this, however, it is also a plausibility that cognitive entrenchment in itself espouses some form of positivity, giving rise to improvement and/or achievement of different types of adaptive outcomes. Drawing from our existing research development, we propose in this conceptual analysis article that personal “entrenchment” to a particular context (e.g., the situated fixation of a football coach to a particular training methodology) may closely relate to three major elements: self-cognizance of cognitive load imposition, a need for efficiency, and the quest for stability and comfort. As we explore later, there is credence to accept the “positivity” of cognitive entrenchment—that by nature, for example, a person would purposively choose the status quo in order to minimize cognitive load imposition, optimize efficiency, and/or to achieve minimum disruption and a high level of comfort, which could then “optimize” his/her learning experiences. We strongly believe that our propositions, which consider eight in this article, are of significance and may, importantly, provide grounding for further research development into the validity of cognitive entrenchment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T12:58:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5a068332823f4a5c8727cae74db04a14 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T12:58:41Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-5a068332823f4a5c8727cae74db04a142022-12-21T18:25:03ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782021-07-011210.3389/fpsyg.2021.662898662898A Case for Cognitive Entrenchment: To Achieve Optimal Best, Taking Into Account the Importance of Perceived Optimal Efficiency and Cognitive Load ImpositionHuy P. PhanBing Hiong NguOne interesting observation that we may all concur with is that many experts, or those who are extremely knowledgeable and well-versed in their respective domains of functioning, become “mediocre” and lose their “touch of invincibility” over time. For example, in the world of professional football, it has been argued that an elite football coach would lose his/her air of invincibility and demise after 10–15 years at the top. Why is this the case? There are different reasons and contrasting viewpoints that have been offered to account for this observed demise. One notable concept, recently introduced to explain this decline, is known as cognitive entrenchment, which is concerned with a high level of stability in one's domain schemas (Dane, 2010). This entrenchment or “situated fixation,” from our proposition, may act to deter the flexibility and/or willingness of a person to adapt to a new context or situation. Some writers, on this basis, have argued that cognitive entrenchment would help explain the demise of some experts and/or why some students have difficulties adapting to new situations. An initial inspection would seem to indicate that cognitive entrenchment is detrimental, potentially imparting evidence of inflexibility, difficulty, and/or the unwillingness of a person to adapt to new contexts (Dane, 2010). This premise importantly connotes that expertise may constrain a person from being flexible, innovative, and/or creative to ongoing changes. In this analysis, an expert may experience a cognitive state of entrenchment, facilitated in this case by his/her own experience, knowledge, and/or theoretical understanding of a subject matter. Having said this, however, it is also a plausibility that cognitive entrenchment in itself espouses some form of positivity, giving rise to improvement and/or achievement of different types of adaptive outcomes. Drawing from our existing research development, we propose in this conceptual analysis article that personal “entrenchment” to a particular context (e.g., the situated fixation of a football coach to a particular training methodology) may closely relate to three major elements: self-cognizance of cognitive load imposition, a need for efficiency, and the quest for stability and comfort. As we explore later, there is credence to accept the “positivity” of cognitive entrenchment—that by nature, for example, a person would purposively choose the status quo in order to minimize cognitive load imposition, optimize efficiency, and/or to achieve minimum disruption and a high level of comfort, which could then “optimize” his/her learning experiences. We strongly believe that our propositions, which consider eight in this article, are of significance and may, importantly, provide grounding for further research development into the validity of cognitive entrenchment.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.662898/fullcognitive entrenchmentperceived zone of comfortcognitive load theoryoptimizationoptimal bestoptimal efficiency |
| spellingShingle | Huy P. Phan Bing Hiong Ngu A Case for Cognitive Entrenchment: To Achieve Optimal Best, Taking Into Account the Importance of Perceived Optimal Efficiency and Cognitive Load Imposition Frontiers in Psychology cognitive entrenchment perceived zone of comfort cognitive load theory optimization optimal best optimal efficiency |
| title | A Case for Cognitive Entrenchment: To Achieve Optimal Best, Taking Into Account the Importance of Perceived Optimal Efficiency and Cognitive Load Imposition |
| title_full | A Case for Cognitive Entrenchment: To Achieve Optimal Best, Taking Into Account the Importance of Perceived Optimal Efficiency and Cognitive Load Imposition |
| title_fullStr | A Case for Cognitive Entrenchment: To Achieve Optimal Best, Taking Into Account the Importance of Perceived Optimal Efficiency and Cognitive Load Imposition |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Case for Cognitive Entrenchment: To Achieve Optimal Best, Taking Into Account the Importance of Perceived Optimal Efficiency and Cognitive Load Imposition |
| title_short | A Case for Cognitive Entrenchment: To Achieve Optimal Best, Taking Into Account the Importance of Perceived Optimal Efficiency and Cognitive Load Imposition |
| title_sort | case for cognitive entrenchment to achieve optimal best taking into account the importance of perceived optimal efficiency and cognitive load imposition |
| topic | cognitive entrenchment perceived zone of comfort cognitive load theory optimization optimal best optimal efficiency |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.662898/full |
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