OPERATION VULCAN: 13 exploring the experience factor

In Vulcan II I described how the Perkins Project set out to apply skills analysis to craft jobs, how it failed in its original purpose and how it became converted into an investigation of the mental skills in manual work. These are the decision‐making and planning skills, sometimes referred to also as strategy skills. I advanced the point of view that the manipulative skills — those amenable to skills analysis — actually service the planning skills which are not amenable to skills analysis. I mentioned also that advanced manipulative skills are popularly referred to as knacks and that, in the same vein, the planning skills are popularly identified with experience. There is a tendency among researchers nowadays to talk about the experience factor when they are discussing planning skills. Hence the title of this present article.