Imitation Based Learning

• Goals
  • Describe imitation-based learning.
  • Use this method on an ongoing basis.

Imitation Based Learning (What)

Imitation based learning (IBL) is a method for learning that involves

1. Observing and figuring out what others do.
2. Copying them; that is, imitating them.
3. Repeating this process until things are easy and automatic for you.

IBL is a natural form of learning. For example, children do a great deal of learning by observing and imitating their parents. Apprentice based learning is another example of IBL. Peers often learn by watching each other and pattern matching.

To make IBL most effective, imitate what experts do.

Expert

An expert is a person who gets unusually good results within their field of expertise.

The reason for imitation of experts is that this practice leads you to get unusually good results.

Examples of IBL

• A novice coder observes what expert coders do and copies their methods. The novice systematically keeps trying to be like an expert until this becomes how they do things.

• A novice tennis player observes the best players in the world and figures out how they play the game. They break this down and practice the same things in a systematic fashion.

• An aspiring salesperson observes the best salespeople in the world and copies them. They keep trying these methods and eventually their skills in sales improve.

Rationale

Here are some reasons why using IBL is worthwhile.

1. Experts get great results because they have figured out the best way to proceed. If you imitate experts, you will eventually tap into their riches.

2. You always have a way to proceed. Find people who are insanely good at what they do and copy them until you are skilled.

Here are some concerns.

1. Novices and intermediates want short cuts and there aren’t any. Do not expect to copy experts and get great results quickly.

2. Many expert practices seem like busy work to novices.

3. Experts often are unaware of how they proceed. Their knowledge is non-declarative. Even worse, they will often attribute success to the wrong things.

4. In some fields like politics, some people who enjoy unusual success do so because they are unethical. These people should not be imitated.

5. People with high levels of success sometimes achieve this success through luck or circumstances. These people should not be imitated.

6. High social status is often mistaken as expertise. For example, a “medical doctor” who is an influencer on social media can be perceived as an expert by most people, but real medical experts recognize this person as a quack.

IBL (How To)

Principles

1. Always learn by copying experts (experts are those who get great results).

2. Always be ethical because this is in your best long term interests.

Frameworks

1. For X (the topic you want to learn), find experts.

2. Figure out what the experts do and why they do this.

3. Practice doing these same things until they become automatic and easy for you.

Tips

1. If you want to find the experts to copy, ask people in the profession. For example, if you are an aspiring nurse, ask many medical workers (doctors, nurses, technicians, and so on) who is thought of as the “best nurses.”

2. Most experts are super humble. They will not say that they are good or expert. Look for experts who describe themselves as learners. True experts do not need to boast about themselves because their results speak for themselves.