Introduction to Cognitive Psychology - Department of Psychological ...

Greg Francis 1/7/11Chess expertsChess experts!! Chase & Simon (1973)game!! Chase & Simon (1973)random!! Show subjects a chess board andthen clear it!! have subjects recall positions ofthe chess pieces on the board!! Master players are better thanbeginners when the pieces arepositioned as in the middle of areal game!! Experts have schemas that allowthem to organize the piecepositions!! They only need to remember theschemaCorrect pieces3025201510501 2 3 4 5 6MasterBeginner!! Show subjects a chessboard and then clear it!! have subjects recallpositions of the chesspieces on the board!! Master players are worsethan beginners when thepieces are positionedrandomly!! Experts try to use theschemas, but they end upmisremembering the actualpiece positionsCorrect pieces25201510501 2 3 4 5 6MasterBeginnerTrialPurdue UniversityTrialPurdue UniversityExpert schemas!! In general, experts have lots of problemsolving schemas specific to their domain ofexpertise!!given such and such; do such and such!!allows them to organize information in a way thatallows for easy recall and easy use!! Expertise in one domain does not transfer toanother!!except for especially useful skillsPurdue UniversityAnalogy: Attack-Dispersion Story!! The many roads to a dictator’s fortress aremined so that small groups of men maypass, but a large group will be destroyed. Ageneral knows that his army can defeat thefortress if he can get his entire army toattack at once, but he cannot take his armydown a single road all at once without losingtoo many men.!! What should he do?Purdue UniversitySolution!! The general should split up his army intomany smaller units!!each unit takes a separate road to converge onthe fortress simultaneously and defeat thedictatorfortressPurdue UniversityAnalogy: Parade-dispersion!! A dictator wants to show off his army so hetells a general to plan a parade of the army. Hedemands that the general insure that the armyis seen and heard across the entire kingdomsimultaneously. The dictator also demands thatthe parade be the most impressive ever at thefortress. Splitting up the army would allow it tobe seen everywhere, but would make thedisplay at the fortress unimpressive.!! What should the general do?Purdue UniversityPSY200 Cognitive Psychology 2