Developmental accounts of the transition from medical student to doctor: some problems and suggestions

This paper is concerned with the difficulties in integrating the results of recent cognitive research on expert-novice in clinical reasoning. The focus is on the issue of stage theories as a means of achieving such integration. Objections to the use of such theories in developmental psychology are reviewed. In light of these objections, it is argued that it is important to distinguish between stage theories and stage-like phenomena. It is concluded that a stage theory is not likely to provide adequate integration. Some alternative explanations, which include both cognitive and non-cognitive factors, are discussed.