science

Plateau effect

Plateau effect is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Plateau effect rather than just read about it. In short: The plateau effect is a phenomenon that lessens the effectiveness of once effective measures over time. An example of the plateau effect is when someone's exercise fails to be as effective as in the past, similar to the concept of diminishing returns.

Key takeaways

Plateau effect belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Plateau effect to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Plateau effect from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The plateau effect is a phenomenon that lessens the effectiveness of once effective measures over time. An example of the plateau effect is when someone's exercise fails to be as effective as in the past, similar to the concept of diminishing returns. A person enters into a period where there is no improvement or a decrease in performance.

Overview The plateau effect may appear in learning, when students experience a dwindling (less steady) benefit from their learning effort. Studies of elementary school students have found there is a plateau effect in reading level during the upper elementary years. This effect is shown in the forgetting curve developed by Hermann Ebbinghaus, who established the hypothesis of the exponential nature of forgetting. Ebbinghaus hypothesized that the use of the ancient mnemonic device, Method of Loci, and spaced repetition can help overcome the plateau effect. The plateau effect is also experienced in acclimation, which is the process that allows organisms to adjust to changes in its environment. In humans, this is seen when the nose becomes acclimated to a certain smell. This immunity is the body's natural defense to distraction from stimulus. This is similar to drug tolerance, when a person's reaction to a specific drug is progressively reduced, requiring an increase in the amount of the drug they receive. Over the counter medications, in particular, have a maximum possible effect, regardless of dose.

Health and fitness In fitness, the Exercise Plateau Effect refers to when a body becomes accustomed to a certain stimulus and thus ceases to respond to it. Overcoming the plateau usually involves a change in the person's workout, including adding periods of rest, changing volume of exercises, or increasing/decreasing the weight used in strength exercises.

Television ratings According to industry consultant Gary Kahan, a television show's ratings plateau after the show reaches a "crescendo" and then slowly decline over time.

Paradox of the pesticides An example of the plateau effect is found in the paradox of the pesticides. The paradox states that applying pesticide to a pest may end up increasing the abundance of the pest if the pesticide upsets natural predator–prey dynamics in the ecosystem.

Paradox in testing In testing, when the same test case is run repeatedly on a product under test, the test case becomes ineffective and may induce costs, notably in maintenance.

The "deliberate practice" theory In the book Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer, a theory called "deliberate practice" is brought up. The theorist that came up with this theory was K. Anders Ericsson who said: "Our civilization has always recognized exceptional individuals, whose performance in sports, the arts, and science is vastly superior to that of the rest of the population". This quote coincides with the three stages because these would be the main topics or ideas that would come in mind to reach the plateau effect in many of people. When these conditions are met, practice improves accuracy and speed of performance on cognitive, perceptual, and motor tasks.

Three stages The plateau effect was mentioned in the book Moonwalking With Einstein by Joshua Foer. The book mentions the three stages that lead up to "The Plateau Effect"; the theory of the three stages was created by Fitts and Posner. These men base the stages on the theory created by K. Anders Ericsson. The first stage of the plateau effect is the cognitive stage which means “You’re intellectualizing the task and discovering new strategies to accomplish it more proficiently.” The second stage is the associative stage which means “You’re concentrating less, making fewer major errors, and generally becoming more efficient.” The last and final stage is autonomous stage (aka the plateau effect) which means as “When you figure that you’ve gotten as good as you need to get at the task and you’re basically running on autopilot.” Reaching the final stage of the plateau effect starts the mental exercises to keep the mind guessing.

The Plateau Effect: Getting From Stuck to Success The Plateau Effect was popularized in application to daily life by Bob Sullivan and Hugh Thompson’s 2013 book The Plateau Effect: Getting From Stuck to Success. The book outlines common causes of plateaus, and the author's findings on how to overcome. According to the authors, the common causes of plateaus include immunity, greedy algorithm, bad timing, flow issues, distorted data, distraction, failing slowly, and perfectionism.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Plateau effect

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Plateau effect claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Plateau effect before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Plateau effect ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Plateau effect

In research: Plateau effect appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Plateau effect in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Plateau effect is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Learning, Metaphors referring to landforms, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Plateau effect outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Plateau effect in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Plateau effect means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Plateau effect out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Plateau effect in simple terms?

Why does Plateau effect matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Plateau effect?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Plateau effect.