Difference between revisions of "Learning curve"
(Created page with 'File:lighterstill.jpgright|frame *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1922 1922] ==Definitions== *1: a curve plotting performance against [[practice]...') |
m (Text replacement - "http://" to "https://") |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Improvement2.jpg|right|frame]] | [[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Improvement2.jpg|right|frame]] | ||
| − | *[ | + | *[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1922 1922] |
==Definitions== | ==Definitions== | ||
*1: a curve plotting [[performance]] against [[practice]]; especially : one graphing decline in unit costs with cumulative output | *1: a curve plotting [[performance]] against [[practice]]; especially : one graphing decline in unit costs with cumulative output | ||
*2: the [[course]] of [[progress]] made in [[learning]] something | *2: the [[course]] of [[progress]] made in [[learning]] something | ||
==Description== | ==Description== | ||
| − | The term '''learning curve''' is used in two main ways: where the same task is repeated in a [[series]] of [[trials]], or where a body of [[knowledge]] is learned over time. The first person to describe the learning curve was [ | + | The term '''learning curve''' is used in two main ways: where the same task is repeated in a [[series]] of [[trials]], or where a body of [[knowledge]] is learned over time. The first person to describe the learning curve was [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Ebbinghaus Hermann Ebbinghaus] in 1885, in the field of the [[psychology]] of learning, although the name wasn't used until 1909. In 1936, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Paul_Wright Theodore Paul Wright] described the effect of learning on production costs in the aircraft industry. This form, in which unit cost is plotted against total production, is sometimes called an ''experience curve''. |
The familiar [[expression]] "''a steep learning curve''" is intended to mean that the activity is [[difficult]] to learn, although a learning curve with a steep start actually represents rapid [[progress]]. | The familiar [[expression]] "''a steep learning curve''" is intended to mean that the activity is [[difficult]] to learn, although a learning curve with a steep start actually represents rapid [[progress]]. | ||
| − | Initially introduced in educational and [ | + | Initially introduced in educational and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_psychology behavioral psychology], the term has acquired a broader [[interpretation]] over time, and expressions such as "experience curve", "improvement curve", "cost improvement curve", "[[progress]] curve", "progress function", "startup curve", and "[[efficiency]] curve" are often used interchangeably. In [[economics]] the subject is [[rates]] of "[[development]]", as development refers to a whole system learning process with varying rates of progression. Generally speaking all learning displays incremental [[change]] over time, but describes an "S" curve which has different appearances depending on the time scale of [[observation]]. It has now also become associated with the evolutionary theory of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punctuated_equilibrium punctuated equilibrium] and other kinds of revolutionary change in [[complex]] systems generally, relating to [[innovation]], organizational behavior and the management of group learning, among other fields. These processes of rapidly emerging new form appear to take place by complex learning within the systems themselves, which when observable, display curves of changing [[rates]] that accelerate and decelerate. |
| − | The [[expression]] ''steep learning curve'' is used with [[opposite]] [[meanings]]. The term is often used in common [[English]] with the meaning of a difficult initial learning process. Nevertheless, the [[Oxford English Dictionary]], The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary define a learning curve as the [[rate]] at which skill is acquired, so a steep increase would mean a quick increment of [[skill]].[ | + | The [[expression]] ''steep learning curve'' is used with [[opposite]] [[meanings]]. The term is often used in common [[English]] with the meaning of a difficult initial learning process. Nevertheless, the [[Oxford English Dictionary]], The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary define a learning curve as the [[rate]] at which skill is acquired, so a steep increase would mean a quick increment of [[skill]].[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_curve] |
[[Category: Psychology]] | [[Category: Psychology]] | ||
Latest revision as of 01:24, 13 December 2020
Definitions
- 1: a curve plotting performance against practice; especially : one graphing decline in unit costs with cumulative output
- 2: the course of progress made in learning something
Description
The term learning curve is used in two main ways: where the same task is repeated in a series of trials, or where a body of knowledge is learned over time. The first person to describe the learning curve was Hermann Ebbinghaus in 1885, in the field of the psychology of learning, although the name wasn't used until 1909. In 1936, Theodore Paul Wright described the effect of learning on production costs in the aircraft industry. This form, in which unit cost is plotted against total production, is sometimes called an experience curve.
The familiar expression "a steep learning curve" is intended to mean that the activity is difficult to learn, although a learning curve with a steep start actually represents rapid progress.
Initially introduced in educational and behavioral psychology, the term has acquired a broader interpretation over time, and expressions such as "experience curve", "improvement curve", "cost improvement curve", "progress curve", "progress function", "startup curve", and "efficiency curve" are often used interchangeably. In economics the subject is rates of "development", as development refers to a whole system learning process with varying rates of progression. Generally speaking all learning displays incremental change over time, but describes an "S" curve which has different appearances depending on the time scale of observation. It has now also become associated with the evolutionary theory of punctuated equilibrium and other kinds of revolutionary change in complex systems generally, relating to innovation, organizational behavior and the management of group learning, among other fields. These processes of rapidly emerging new form appear to take place by complex learning within the systems themselves, which when observable, display curves of changing rates that accelerate and decelerate.
The expression steep learning curve is used with opposite meanings. The term is often used in common English with the meaning of a difficult initial learning process. Nevertheless, the Oxford English Dictionary, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary define a learning curve as the rate at which skill is acquired, so a steep increase would mean a quick increment of skill.[1]
