Templates in chess memory: a mechanism for recalling several boards
Open accessAbstract
This paper addresses empirically and theoretically a question derived from the chunking theory of memory (Chase & Simon, 1973a, 1973b): To what extent is skilled chess memory limited by the size of short-term memory (about seven chunks)? This question is addressed first with an experiment where subjects, ranking from class A players to grandmasters, are asked to recall up to five positions presented during 5 s each. Results show a decline of percentage of recall with additional boards, but also show that expert players recall more pieces than is predicted by the chunking theory in its original form. A second experiment shows that longer latencies between the presentation of boards facilitate recall. In a third experiment, a Chessmaster gradually increases the number of boards he can reproduce with higher than 70% average accuracy to nine, replacing as many as 160 pieces correctly. To account for the results of these experiments, a revision of the Chase-Simon theory is proposed. It is suggested that chess players, like experts in other recall tasks, use long-term memory retrieval structures (Chase & Ericsson, 1982) or templates in addition to chunks in short-term memory to store information rapidly.
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Context affects performance.
“Context affects performance.”
From Context Stability in Habit Building Increases Automaticity and Goal Attainment (2022) · cites this paper as Gobet and Simon, 1996
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Chase, W. G., & Simon, H. A. (1973) · Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1016/0010-0285(73)90004-2 · Cited by 4,479 · see citing works
Self-citationAcquisition of a memory skill.
Ericsson, K. A., Chase, W. G., & Faloon, S. (1980) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.7375930 · Cited by 579 · see citing works
A simulation of memory for chess positions
Simon, H. A., & Gilmartin, K. (1973) · Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1016/0010-0285(73)90024-8 · Cited by 439 · see citing works
Self-citationExpert Chess Memory: Revisiting the Chunking Hypothesis
Gobet, F., & Simon, H. A. (1998) · Memory · doi:10.1080/741942359 · Cited by 320 · see citing works
Self-citationSTM capacity for Chinese words and idioms: Chunking and acoustical loop hypotheses
Zhang, G., & Simon, H. A. (1985) · Memory & Cognition · doi:10.3758/bf03197681 · Cited by 283 · see citing works
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Cowan, N. (2001) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x01003922 · Cited by 6,779 · see citing works
Expert Chess Memory: Revisiting the Chunking Hypothesis
Gobet, F., & Simon, H. A. (1998) · Memory · doi:10.1080/741942359 · Cited by 320 · see citing works
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Sala, G., Tatlidil, K. S., & Gobet, F. (2018) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/bul0000139 · Cited by 257 · see citing works
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Working memory training in typically developing children: A multilevel meta-analysis
Sala, G., & Gobet, F. (2020) · Psychonomic Bulletin & Review · doi:10.3758/s13423-019-01681-y · Cited by 131 · see citing works
Self-citationKiesel, A., Kunde, W., Pohl, C., Berner, M. P., & Hoffmann, J. (2009) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition · doi:10.1037/a0014499 · Cited by 120 · see citing works
Sala, G., Aksayli, N. D., Tatlidil, K. S., Gondo, Y., & Gobet, F. (2019) · Intelligence · doi:10.1016/j.intell.2019.101386 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
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Croijmans, I., Arshamian, A., Speed, L. J., & Majid, A. (2021) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: General · doi:10.1037/xge0000949 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Context Stability in Habit Building Increases Automaticity and Goal Attainment
Stojanovic, M., Grund, A., & Fries, S. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.883795 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
- Authors
- Gobet, F., & Simon, H. A.
- Affiliations
- Carnegie Mellon University (US)
- ORCID
- Gobet, Fernand
- Venue
- Cognitive Psychology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1996-08
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 1-40
- ISSN
- 0010-0285 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2102495692
- Cited by
- 622
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 42 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 28 · 2013: 38 · 2012: 27
- FWCI
- 20.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- bura.brunel.ac.uk
- Locations
- Cognitive Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Brunel University Research Archive (BURA) (Brunel University London) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Sport Psychology and Performance
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Keywords
- short-term memory capacity, long-term memory retrieval, templates
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Memory, Mental Recall, Templates, Genetic
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