Tacit Knowledge
A Tacit Knowledge is a knowledge item that a cognitive agent possesses but cannot readily articulate.
- AKA: Implicit Knowledge, Intuitive Knowledge, Embodied Knowledge, Unconscious Knowledge, Personal Knowledge, Practical Knowledge, Experiential Knowledge.
- Context:
- It can typically enable Skilled Performance through unconscious competence.
- It can typically guide Decision-Making Processes through intuitive judgment.
- It can typically manifest in Physical Skills through muscle memory.
- It can typically influence Social Interactions through cultural understanding.
- It can typically support Expert Judgment through pattern recognition.
- It can typically underpin Innovation Processes through creative insight.
- It can typically facilitate Problem-Solving Tasks through experiential heuristics.
- ...
- It can often resist Knowledge Transfer through conventional instruction.
- It can often emerge from Extended Practice through experiential learning.
- It can often complement Explicit Knowledge through practical application.
- It can often underpin Creative Processes through unconscious association.
- It can often accumulate through Deliberate Practice in specialized domains.
- It can often manifest as Professional Intuition in expert practitioners.
- ...
- It can range from being a Personal Tacit Knowledge to being a Collective Tacit Knowledge, depending on its knowledge distribution scope.
- It can range from being a Simple Tacit Motor Skill to being a Complex Tacit Cognitive Expertise, depending on its cognitive complexity level.
- It can range from being a Domain-Specific Tacit Knowledge to being a Universal Tacit Knowledge, depending on its applicability breadth.
- It can range from being a Weakly-Held Tacit Knowledge to being a Deeply-Embedded Tacit Knowledge, depending on its cognitive entrenchment level.
- It can range from being a Rapidly-Evolving Tacit Knowledge to being a Stable Tacit Knowledge, depending on its temporal persistence pattern.
- It can range from being a Near-Explicit Tacit Knowledge to being a Deep Tacit Knowledge, depending on its consciousness accessibility level.
- It can range from being a Easily-Transferable Tacit Knowledge to being a Non-Transferable Tacit Knowledge, depending on its knowledge transmission difficulty.
- ...
- It can be analyzed by a Knowledge Analyst for knowledge extraction purposes.
- It can be documented through Knowledge Elicitation Methods for knowledge preservation.
- It can be transmitted through Apprenticeship Models for skill development.
- It can be recognized in Organizational Contexts for competitive advantage.
- It can be studied by Cognitive Scientists for understanding human cognition.
- It can be converted through Socialization Processes in knowledge creation models.
- It can be externalized through Metaphorical Expressions in knowledge articulation attempts.
- It can be leveraged by Machine Learning Systems through behavioral demonstrations.
- ...
- Example(s):
- Language-Based Tacit Knowledge, such as:
- Natural Language Competence, including the tacit knowledge of natural language syntax.
- Linguistic Intuition, knowing appropriate word usage without explicit grammatical rules.
- Native Speaker Judgment, distinguishing grammatical constructions from ungrammatical constructions.
- Pragmatic Competence, understanding contextual meaning beyond literal interpretation.
- Physical Skill-Based Tacit Knowledge, such as:
- Motor Skill Knowledge, such as the ability to ride a bicycle.
- Craft Expertise, where mastery in artistic practices has been honed through repetitive practice.
- Athletic Performance Knowledge, such as a gymnast's sense of dynamic balance.
- Musical Performance Skill, knowing expressive timing without conscious calculation.
- Surgical Dexterity, performing precise movements through haptic feedback.
- Social and Cultural Tacit Knowledge, such as:
- Social Cue Recognition, knowing when someone is upset based on subtle non-verbal cues.
- Cultural Competence, understanding unwritten social rules within specific communities.
- Interpersonal Skill, knowing how to comfort someone in emotional distress.
- Organizational Culture Navigation, understanding implicit power dynamics.
- Negotiation Intuition, sensing optimal timing for strategic concessions.
- Professional and Expert Tacit Knowledge, such as:
- Medical Diagnostic Intuition, where experienced doctors sense clinical anomalies.
- Engineering Design Intuition, recognizing elegant solutions without explicit analysis.
- Teaching Expertise, knowing when to intervene in student learning processes.
- Market Trading Intuition, sensing market sentiment shifts before quantitative indicators.
- Software Debugging Intuition, finding code issues through pattern familiarity.
- Philosophical and Spiritual Tacit Knowledge, such as:
- Moral Intuition, having an inherent sense of ethical boundary.
- Spiritual Insight, gained through contemplative practice or meditative experience.
- Aesthetic Judgment, recognizing artistic beauty without explicit criteria.
- Philosophical Understanding, grasping conceptual nuances through intellectual maturation.
- Organizational Tacit Knowledge, such as:
- Institutional Memory, understanding how things "really work" in an organization.
- Team Coordination Knowledge, knowing collaborative rhythms with specific colleagues.
- Leadership Intuition, sensing organizational mood and intervention timing.
- Innovation Culture Knowledge, understanding unwritten innovation norms.
- Scientific Research Tacit Knowledge, such as:
- Experimental Technique, knowing subtle adjustments for successful replication.
- Research Problem Selection, sensing fruitful research directions.
- Laboratory Practice Knowledge, understanding equipment quirks and procedural nuances.
- Polanyi's Tacit Knowledge, exemplified by the observation "we can know more than we can tell."
- ...
- Language-Based Tacit Knowledge, such as:
- Counter-Example(s):
- Explicit Knowledge, which can be readily codified and transmitted through formal documentation.
- Procedural Knowledge, which can be expressed as step-by-step instructions.
- Declarative Knowledge, which can be stated as factual propositions.
- Algorithmic Knowledge, which can be precisely formalized in computational representation.
- Scientific Theory, which requires explicit formulation and testable predictions.
- Mathematical Proof, which must be formally expressible with logical rigor.
- Technical Specification, which demands precise articulation of system requirements.
- See: Explicit Knowledge, Embodied Cognition, Knowledge Management, Skill Acquisition, Michael Polanyi, Cognitive Unconscious, Expert System, Knowledge Transfer Task, SECI Model, Nonaka and Takeuchi, Knowledge Conversion Process, Practical Wisdom, Phronesis, Know-How, Metacognition.
References
2023
- (Wikipedia, 2023) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/tacit_knowledge Retrieved:2023-6-21.
- Tacit knowledge or implicit knowledge—as opposed to formal, codified or explicit knowledge—is knowledge that is difficult to express or extract, and thus more difficult to transfer to others by means of writing it down or verbalizing it. This can include personal wisdom, experience, insight, and intuition.
For example, knowing that London is in the United Kingdom is a piece of explicit knowledge; it can be written down, transmitted, and understood by a recipient. In contrast, the ability to speak a language, ride a bicycle, knead dough, play a musical instrument, or design and use complex equipment requires all sorts of knowledge which is not always known explicitly, even by expert practitioners, and which is difficult or impossible to explicitly transfer to other people.
- Tacit knowledge or implicit knowledge—as opposed to formal, codified or explicit knowledge—is knowledge that is difficult to express or extract, and thus more difficult to transfer to others by means of writing it down or verbalizing it. This can include personal wisdom, experience, insight, and intuition.
2016
- (Wikipedia, 2016) ⇒ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/intuition Retrieved:2016-1-17.
- Intuition, a phenomenon of the mind, describes the ability to acquire knowledge without inference or the use of reason. The word "intuition" comes from Latin verb intueri translated as consider or from late middle English word intuit, "to contemplate". Intuition is often interpreted with varied meaning from intuition being glimpses of greater knowledge to only a function of mind; however, processes by which and why they happen typically remain mostly unknown to the thinker, as opposed to the view of rational thinking.
Intuition has been subject of discussion from ancient philosophy to modern psychology, also a topic of interest in various religions and esoteric domains, as well as a common subject of writings and is often misunderstood and misinterpreted as instinct, truth, belief, meaning and other subjects. The right brain is popularly associated with intuitive processes such as aesthetic or generally creative abilities. Some scientists have contended that intuition is associated with innovation in scientific discovery. [1] Intuition Peak on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named in appreciation of the role of scientific intuition for the advancement of human knowledge.
- Intuition, a phenomenon of the mind, describes the ability to acquire knowledge without inference or the use of reason. The word "intuition" comes from Latin verb intueri translated as consider or from late middle English word intuit, "to contemplate". Intuition is often interpreted with varied meaning from intuition being glimpses of greater knowledge to only a function of mind; however, processes by which and why they happen typically remain mostly unknown to the thinker, as opposed to the view of rational thinking.
- ↑ Gerald Holton, Yehuda Elkana. Albert Einstein: Historical and Cultural Perspectives, Dover Publications, July 1997, p. 97. ISBN 0-486-29879-5 "The workings of intuition transcend those of the intellect, and as is well known, innovation is often a triumph of intuition over logic."
2015
- (Wikipedia, 2015) ⇒ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/tacit_knowledge Retrieved:2015-1-29.
- Tacit knowledge (as opposed to formal, codified or explicit knowledge) is the kind of knowledge that is difficult to transfer to another person by means of writing it down or verbalizing it.
2009
- http://philosophy.uwaterloo.ca/MindDict/tacitknowledge.html
- QUOTE: Although the expression “tacit knowledge” appears to have been introduced by Michael Polanyi (1958/1974), the idea that certain cognitive processes and/or behaviors are undergirded by operations inaccessible to consciousness -- by a cognitive unconscious, as Reber (1995) calls it -- goes back at least as far as Helmholtz's work in the 19th century (Reber 1995, p. 15). A more recent and influential formulation of this basic idea can be found in Lashley (1956).
Varieties of Tacit Knowledge The distinction between tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge has sometimes been expressed in terms of knowing-how and knowing-that, respectively (Ryle 1949/1984, pp. 25-61), or in terms of a corresponding distinction between embodied knowledge and theoretical knowledge. On this account knowing-how or embodied knowledge is characteristic of the expert, who acts, makes judgments, and so forth without explicitly reflecting on the principles or rules involved. The expert works without having a theory of his or her work; he or she just performs skillfully without deliberation or focused attention. Knowing-that, by contrast, involves consciously accessible knowledge that can be articulated and is characteristic of the person learning a skill through explicit instruction, recitation of rules, attention to his or her movements, etc. While such declarative knowledge may be needed for the acquisition of skills, the argument goes, it no longer becomes necessary for the practice of those skills once the novice becomes an expert in exercising them, and indeed it does seem to be the case that, as Polanyi argued, when we acquire a skill, we acquire a corresponding understanding that defies articulation (Polanyi 1958/1974).
- QUOTE: Although the expression “tacit knowledge” appears to have been introduced by Michael Polanyi (1958/1974), the idea that certain cognitive processes and/or behaviors are undergirded by operations inaccessible to consciousness -- by a cognitive unconscious, as Reber (1995) calls it -- goes back at least as far as Helmholtz's work in the 19th century (Reber 1995, p. 15). A more recent and influential formulation of this basic idea can be found in Lashley (1956).
2002
- (Tsamir & Tirosh, 2002) ⇒ Pessia Tsamir, and Dina Tirosh. (2002). “Intuitive Beliefs, Formal Definitions and Undefined Operations: Cases of Division by Zero.” In: Beliefs: A Hidden Variable in Mathematics Education?, pp. 331-344 . Springer Netherlands,
- QUOTE: In this chapter we describe a study in which we explore secondary school students’ adherence to the perform-the-operation belief in the cases of division by zero. Our aims were: (1) to examine whether secondary school students identify expressions involving division by zero as undefined or tend to perform the division operation, (2) to study the justifications given for their approach, and (3) to analyze the effects of age (grade) on their responses. A substantial number of the participants argued, in line with the perform-the-operation belief, that division by zero results in a number. This intuitive belief was also evident in the justifications of students who correctly claimed that division by zero is undefined. Performance on division by zero tasks did not improve with age. Possible causes and educational implications of these findings are described and discussed.
2001
- (Ambrosini & Bowman, 2001) ⇒ Véronique Ambrosini, and Cliff Bowman. (2001). “Tacit Knowledge: Some Suggestions for Operationalization.” In: Journal of Management Studies, 38(6).
1986
- (Chomsky, 1986) ⇒ Noam Chomsky. (1986). “Knowledge of Language. New York, Praeger.
1983
- (McCloskey et al., 1983) ⇒ Michael McCloskey, Allyson Washburn, and Linda Felch. (1983). “Intuitive Physics: The Straight-down Belief and Its Origin." Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 9, no. 4
- QUOTE: Examined the nature and origin of a common misconception about moving objects. Pencil-and-paper problems completed by 177 undergraduates showed that many Ss erroneously believed that an object carried by another moving object (e.g., a ball carried by a walking person) will, if dropped, fall to the ground in a straight vertical line. (In fact, such an object will fall forward in a parabolic arc.) Two experiments, with 120 Ss with or without physics training, showed that this misconception also occurred in a problem presented in a concrete, dynamic fashion and in a situation in which an S dropped a ball while walking. It is proposed that the “straight-down belief” may stem from a perceptual illusion. Exp III, in which 18 Ss viewed computer-generated displays simulating situations in which a carried object is dropped, and Exp IV, in which 36 Ss viewed a videotape of a walking person dropping an object, provided data consistent with this " seeing is believing " hypothesis.
1966
- (Polanyi, 1966a) ⇒ Michael Polanyi. (1966). “The Tacit Dimension." Doubleday & Co.
- QUOTE: ... Another variant of this phenomenon was demonstrated by Eriksen and Kuethe in 1958.[1] They exposed a person to a show whenever he happened to utter associations to certain "shock words." Presently, the person learned to forestall the shock by avoiding the utternace of such associations, but, on questining it appeared that he did not know he was doing this. Here the subject got to know a practical operation, but could not tell how he worked it. This kind of subception has the structure of a skill, for a skill combines elementary muscular acts which are not identifiable, according to relations that we cannot define.
These experiments show most clearly what is meant by saying that one can know more than we can tell. This is prevented here by the division of roles between the subject and the observer. The experimenter observes that another person has a certain knowledge that he cannot tell, and so no one speaks of a knowledge he himself has and cannot tell. ...
- QUOTE: ... Another variant of this phenomenon was demonstrated by Eriksen and Kuethe in 1958.[1] They exposed a person to a show whenever he happened to utter associations to certain "shock words." Presently, the person learned to forestall the shock by avoiding the utternace of such associations, but, on questining it appeared that he did not know he was doing this. Here the subject got to know a practical operation, but could not tell how he worked it. This kind of subception has the structure of a skill, for a skill combines elementary muscular acts which are not identifiable, according to relations that we cannot define.
- (Polanyi, 1966b) ⇒ Michael Polanyi. (1966). “The Logic of Tacit Inference.” In: Philosophy, 41(155). doi:10.1017/S0031819100066110
1958
- (Polanyi, 1966) ⇒ Michael Polanyi. (1958). “Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy." Chicago, University of Chicago Press.
1949
- (Ryle, 1949) ⇒ Gilbert Ryle. (1949). “The Concept of Mind." University of Chicago Press.