Anders Ericsson of Psychology elected to Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences

K. Anders Ericsson, Conradi Eminent Scholar and Professor of Psychology, has been elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, established in 1919 to promote the engineering and economic sciences for the benefit of society. “It is by far the most prestigious honor that I have received in my life,” Ericsson said of the award. Unlike in the United States, where the National Academy of Engineering is strictly engineering, the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences has members from a wide range of sciences, including the social sciences, psychology, and business, Ericsson said. His research regarding the development of expertise through extended deliberate practice has been featured widely in the popular press and in the 2008 book Outliers: the Story of Success, written by Malcolm Gladwell. A world expert on the topic of expertise, Ericsson is a native of Sweden and received his Ph.D. in psychology in 1976 from the University of Stockholm. He joined the faculty at Florida State in 1992. The award ceremony will be held in October in Stockholm, although Ericsson says that because of a commitment he made two years ago, it is unlikely that he will be able to attend this year’s ceremony. Instead, he is hoping to attend the 2011 ceremony, joined by his father, who still lives in Sweden. The king of Sweden generally attends the meetings as well. To read more, go to http://www.fsu.com/News/World-s-top-expert-on-expertise-elected-to-elite-academy