Expertise

Expertise

Becoming an expert within the field of Neuroscience requires expansion of previously learned knowledge. This is accomplished through conducting first hand research. Therefore, expertise is the ability to expand upon established knowledge in the pursuit of the creation of new knowledge.  This definition is found in an article which details the content exchanged between neuroscientists from around the world. The international nature of that review meeting meant that the few selected speakers-Hugo Peluffo, Ian Brown, Maria Andrés, Soledad Matus -were chosen from a large pool based on their international recognition as experts (Brown, 2012, p. 1-2). Those who presented information all had firsthand experience conducting research. Therefore, it is clear that expertise in Neuroscience is acquired through firsthand research experience. This is a general characteristic of the field.

Since experts extrapolate upon previously established information and knowledge, research in this field has become increasingly specialized. The results of research studies generally do not go beyond the boundaries of discourse communities within Neuroscience. For example, a research study conducted by Lilian Riad-Allen and Derek van der Kooy determined that “singly stressed animals showed midazolam place preferences through a dopamine-independent pathway” (Riad-Allen and van der Kooy, 2013, p. 1). Such specific information would not be generally accessed or desired by people outside of Neuroscience research. Understanding it requires previous exposure to the field’s terminology and concepts. This is representative of the vast majority of Neuroscience research publications. Research findings are also specialized due to the utilization of animal models. The applications of such research findings are rather narrow. Both Riad-Allen’s and Brown’s publications convey findings derived from experimentation on rodents. Thus, both the use of animal models and terminology both contribute to the specificity of Neuroscience research results. A foundation of knowledge must be acquired prior to research experience. However, one is not an expert until he or she makes a contribution to the body of knowledge through firsthand research.

Credit: cahnrs.wsu.edu