The theoretical framework presented in this article explains expert performance as the end result of
individuals' prolonged efforts to improve performance while negotiating motivational and external
constraints. In most domains of expertise, individuals begin in their childhood a regimen of
effortful activities (deliberate practice) designed to optimize improvement. Individual differences,
even among elite performers, are closely related to assessed amounts of deliberate practice. Many
characteristics once believed to reflect innate talent are actually the result of intense practice
extended for a minimum of 10 years. Analysis of expert performance provides unique evidence on
the potential and limits of extreme environmental adaptation and learning.