Skill and automaticity: Relations, implications, and future directions.

Logan, Gordon D. · 1985 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1037/h0080066

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Summary

This theoretical review by Gordon D. Logan examines the relationship between automaticity and skill, arguing that while they are closely related, they are not identical. The paper addresses the historical assumption that automaticity is merely a component of skill, questioning whether skill is simply "more automatic" performance or if it involves additional elements. Logan posits that automatic processes are specific components recruited to perform skilled tasks, but skill encompasses more than the sum of these automatic parts. Specifically, skilled performance includes metacognitive knowledge regarding strategic options and declarative knowledge about the domain, which unskilled performers lack. Consequently, skilled performers can achieve broader goals and adapt to constraints in ways that go beyond mere speed or effortlessness. Logan analyzes the acquisition of these constructs, noting that both skill and automaticity are learned through practice and exist on a continuum rather than as binary states. He challenges the view that automaticity is a dichotomy between "automatic" and "non-automatic," suggesting instead that properties of automaticity—such as speed, reduced dual-task interference, and autonomy—develop continuously with practice. This perspective reframes debates regarding the co-occurrence of automaticity properties. Studies finding that processes can be both effortful and autonomous are interpreted not as evidence against the concept of automaticity, but as indicators of partial automatization where different properties change at different rates during learning. The paper further applies this skills perspective to the theory of multiple resources. Logan critiques the view that automatization simply reduces the amount of attentional resources required, noting that this contradicts the multiple resource theory premise that all processes require some resources. Instead, he proposes that automatization involves a shift in the *types* of resources used. As practice progresses, performers may reduce reliance on one resource (e.g., visual feedback) while increasing reliance on another (e.g., kinesthetic feedback). This shift explains why transfer of training is often limited and why skilled performers exhibit narrow generalization gradients. The significance of this work lies in its resolution of theoretical inconsistencies in the study of automaticity. By viewing automaticity as a relative, continuous aspect of skill acquisition, Logan provides a framework that reconciles conflicting empirical findings regarding the properties of automatic processes. The paper concludes that considering the role of automatic processes within the broader context of skill performance offers a more coherent understanding of attention, control, and learning, suggesting that future research should focus on how specific automatic components are recruited and modified during the development of complex skills.

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• automaticity skill acquisition