I read an article today called “The Expert Mind,” written by Philip E. Ross for the Scientific American magazine. I want to share my thoughts about it as it was a very well written, well thought out, intriguing look into the cognitive science behind the supposed supreme mental abilities of chess grandmasters.
The main gist of the article is that chess grandmasters provide an excellent source for providing quantifiable data on memory. According to the author an average chess grandmaster has access to somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 different chunks of chess information which they have memorized. Stored in “chunks” of long term memory the chess player can rapidly access this information and make use of it. The most interesting conclusion the article draws is that essentially anyone can achieve this same level of expertise in any field provided a high level of dedication. Here are what I felt were the most important points in the article:
- The 10-year rule, which states that it takes approximately a decade of heavy labor to master any field.
- Experts are MADE not BORN. This conclusion comes from the preponderance of psychological evidence accumulated from decades of research.
- “Chunking” memories allows us to rapidly process huge volumes of information.
- One cannot become an expert without constantly challenging and stretching what is already known.
This article provides some food for thought when applied to the context of web design and development. I can see how with a lot of practice and experience a seasoned web designer/developer would be able to look at a challenging set of design requirements and know just how to create a user experience to handle them. I can see how tackling programming challenges that once seemed abstract and difficult would become concrete and manageable.
They key is to continue to expand ones knowledge and always venture into the dim unknown edges of what we know and think can be accomplished.
There is another fantastic article on the subject of Long-Term Working Memory (LTWM) as the “Memory of Experts” which can be found here:
Superior Memory of Experts »You can find the original article from the Scientific American, “The Expert Mind”, here:
Original Article, “The Expert Mind” (PDF) »
