Pedigree is an eye-opening book. Author and sociologist Lauren Rivera looks into the recruitment practices in elite law, banking, and consulting firms. Rivera’s unsettling portrait provides much ammunition for those who would argue that meritocracy is a myth. In particular, Rivera finds: Alma mater is all-important. Elite firms draw from “core” and “target” schools. Students […]

About a year ago, I started a research project focused on the transfer of learning. Given the often disappointing evidence for learning transfer between the classroom and the real world, I was eager to dig into the research on apprenticeships and learning by doing. But the research turned out to be more complicated (and interesting!) […]

Last week, I asked readers to send me their questions about learning, life, or… anything really. I got over one hundred replies! Here are a few I’d like to share: Gary asks:“What are your morning and evening routines?” Listen to this article I don’t have anything fancy in terms of routines. My mornings, these days, […]

How do we solve hard problems? What are we thinking about as we work? What influences whether we find an answer or remain stuck forever? These are the questions Allen Newell and Herbert Simon set out to address in their landmark 1972 book, Human Problem Solving. Their work has had an enormous influence on psychology, […]