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Abstract:
Abstract: The goal of the current study is to identify the
important cortical areas in chess playing and compare their
activation between novice and advanced chess players. Chess playing
is a mental process that involves many aspects of cognitive
functions. The study of chess playing at the behavioral level has
been important to our understanding of mental operations in general
problem solving and the development of expertise. A detailed
description of the cortical areas involved during chess playing
will no doubt help us to constrain theories of chess playing and
further our understanding of this unique human cognitive function.
Patterns of cortical activation of players of different levels of
sophistication were measured using functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI). Subjects were presented with mid-game positions and
instructed to select the best next move within 30 seconds. Cortical
activation in this condition was contrasted with periods when
subjects viewed a blank chessboard and chessboards with randomly
placed pieces. To control for subjects' eye movements and
attentional level in the random condition, subjects were asked to
search for small low-contrast marks on some of the chess pieces.
The most consistent activation during chess playing was found in
the Inferior Parietal Lobule. This may reflect the demand on
spatial orientation during chess playing. Surprisingly, there was
no or very weak differential activation in the prefrontal
cortex.
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