The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of musical expertise - A meta-analysis

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Reinhard Kopiez
• Subject Area: Developmental and Educational Psychology
• Term: from 2014 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 252070242

Deliberate practice (DP) is a key concept in expert skill acquisition, but up until now there has been no meta-analysis of the effect size of DP in expert music performance. However, the identification of a quantifiable effect size is relevant for the current discussion on the role of various factors influencing expert performance. In addition, a research synthesis might generally lead to new computational models of musical development which explain peak performance in music. The first of its kind in the domain of musical performance, our meta-analysis will be conducted in 5 steps: (a) we will start with an extensive and systematic review of literature on DP in the domain of music performance - including peer reviewed journals as well as "grey literature" (conference proceedings, dissertations, and unpublished manuscripts); (b) study designs will be categorized; (c) effect sizes for DP will be calculated by means of the software Comprehensive Meta-Analysis; (d) the identified average effect sizes of all aggregated studies will be tested for publication bias and reliability (e.g., trim and fill method, funnel plot); (e) the validity of findings will be tested in a meta-regression. Findings will be discussed in the contexts of (a) the role of "other" influential variables in the production of peak performance and (b) a more general comparison of the influence of DP in various domains such as music, sports, or chess.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants