Expert and “novice” problem solving strategies in chess: Sixty years of citing de Groot (1946)

Authors: Bilalic, Merim¹; McLeod, Peter¹; Gobet, Fernand²

Source: Thinking & Reasoning, Volume 14, Number 4, July 2008 , pp. 395-408(14)

Publisher: Psychology Press, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

In a famous study of expert problem solving, de Groot (1946/1978) examined how chess players found the best move. He reported that there was little difference in the way that the best players (Grand Masters) and very good players (Candidate Masters) searched the board. Although this result has been regularly cited in studies of expertise, it is frequently misquoted. It is often claimed that de Groot found no difference in the way that experts and novices investigate a problem. Comparison of expert and novice chess players on de Groot's problem shows that there are clear differences in their search patterns. We discuss the troublesome theoretical and practical consequences of incorrectly reporting de Groot's findings.

Keywords: Chess; Experts vs novices; Expertise; Problem solving; Scientific citation; Search; Thinking

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/13546780802265547

Affiliations: 1: Oxford University, UK 2: Brunel University, London, UK

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