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Can Proficiency in Chess Predict Situation Awareness in a Novel Task?
DescriptionSituational Awareness (SA), a cognitive process involving the perception, comprehension, and prediction of elements in a dynamic environment, plays a pivotal role in safety-critical operations such as aviation and air traffic control (Durso et al., 2006; Endsley, 1988, 1995c; Endsley, 1999; Jones and Endsley, 1996; Rodgers et al., 2000). Kharoufah et al. (2018) identified SA as a key factor in a sample of 200 commercial air transport accidents from 2000 to 2016. Despite ongoing debates about its representational, operational, causal, and moral status (Dekker, 2015; Salmon et al., 2015), the importance of SA in safety-critical operations remains undisputed within the scientific domain (Pritchett, 2015).

Understanding the cognitive mechanisms that give rise to SA as an operational state is of great interest to researchers. Such understanding can enhance the effectiveness of performance assessments used in the selection, training, and evaluation of pilots (Durso et al., 2006; Endsley, 2015).

In this context, the game of chess, with its demands on cognitive abilities, particularly fluid intelligence, and working memory, serves as an ideal domain for studying the relationship between cognitive ability and skill. Elite youth chess players have been found to score higher on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, which primarily measures fluid reasoning (Frydman & Lynn, 1992). Furthermore, a positive correlation has been observed between full-scale IQ and chess rating, indicating that general intelligence can predict chess ability (Grabner, Stern, & Neubauer, 2007).

Working memory, which is strongly connected to fluid intelligence (gF), plays a crucial role in chess. This cognitive faculty allows players to hold and manipulate information in their minds over short periods, a skill vital in chess where players must anticipate and plan several moves ahead. Brain-imaging studies have shown that tasks involving fluid intelligence and working memory activate similar areas of the prefrontal and parietal cortex, suggesting a shared neural basis (Prabhakaran et al., 1997).

Moreover, working memory is critical for achieving Level 1 SA, the perception stage, which involves recognizing relevant elements in the environment (Endsley, 1995a, Endsley, 2000b). This aligns with the demands of chess, where players must maintain awareness of the entire board and the positions of all pieces.

In conclusion, chess expertise is not merely a function of mastering the game’s rules and strategies but also reflects broader cognitive abilities, particularly fluid intelligence, and working memory, integral to SA. The current study aims to investigate the correlation between participants’ ELO ratings (an on-line chess assessment), the number of games played, and their scores in the letter factory task. By examining this relationship, we seek to identify whether having better ELO ratings can serve as predictors for SA, thereby enhancing our understanding of the cognitive mechanisms underlying SA and improving performance in safety-critical operations. However, it's important to acknowledge that the sheer quantity of games played may present a limitation in our analysis. Simply playing more games doesn't necessarily equate to mastery in chess, as proficiency in the game relies on a multifaceted approach encompassing study, practice, and reflection.
Event Type
Lecture
TimeWednesday, September 11th1:50pm - 2:10pm MST
LocationFLW Salon A
Tracks
Individual Differences in Performance