7 research outputs found
Functional cerebral reorganization: A signature of expertise? Reexamining Guida, Gobet, Tardieu, and Nicolas’ (2012) two-stage framework.
No full textInternational audienceIn 2012, Guida, Gobet, Tardieu and Nicolas proposed a two-stage framework to explain how cognitive changes due to practice could shape experts' brain physiologically and thus explain neuroimaging data of expertise acquisition. In this paper, after presenting the motivations for such a framework and the framework itself, we examine the idea that functional cerebral reorganization (FCR) could be used as a signature for expertise [...
Chunks, schemata and retrieval structures: Past and current computational models
No full textA recurring question in psychology and cognitive science concerns the expression of theories that are internally consistent and testable. Natural language is unsatisfactory, as theoretical concepts and mechanisms are not stated with sufficient precision (e.g., Newell et al., 1958; Newell and Simon, 1972; Farrell and Lewandowsky, 2010; Jones et al., 2014). Formal and, in particular, computational models avoid the problems of vagueness and under-specification by defining the processes and cognitive mechanisms that occur during a task. They additionally make quantitative and testable predictions, not only about the link between input and output, but also about fine-grained measures such as response times and eye movements. Further, such models can perform complex tasks and, when simulating learning, can use the statistical structure of the environment to help explain behavior. This Opinion article briefly reviews the extent to which computational modeling has been used to develop theories accounting for the learning and use of chunks, schemata, and retrieval structures. We use the following definitions. A chunk is a “meaningful unit of information built from smaller pieces of information” (Gobet and Lane, 2012, p. 541), with the qualification that this information should be of the same kind. A schema is “a cognitive structure for representing and retrieving classes of typical situations for which a similar response is required of the learner” (Lane et al., 2000, p. 776). Finally, a retrieval structure is “a set of retrieval cues [that] are organized in a stable structure” (Ericsson and Kintsch, 1995, p. 216). We should point out that there exist plenty of definitions for these terms, which is actually an issue for progress in our understanding. For example, Richman et al. (1991) consider that a retrieval structure is a schema in long-term memory. Even fuzzier is the concept of a “chunk.” For example, a chunk is a unit of declarative memory in ACT-R (Anderson et al., 2004) and a unit of procedural memory in Soar (Newell, 1990), with none of the two meanings corresponding to the definition provided above. For a discussion of the multiple meanings of this term, see Gobet et al. (in revision)
What’s in a Name? The Multiple Meanings of Chunk and Chunking
No full textThe term chunk, denoting a unit, and the related term chunking, denoting a mechanism to construct that unit, are familiar terms within psychology and cognitive science. The Oxford English Dictionary provides several definitions for “chunk.” First, “a thick, more or less cuboidal, lump, cut off anything,” or, colloquially, “a large or substantial amount.” The Merriam-Webster dictionary provides similar definitions. OUP's Oxford Dictionary alone gives a computer-related meaning: “a section of information or data.” It is in this context, a chunk as a section of information, that the word is used within psychology and cognitive science. In these fields, a chunk typically refers to a single unit built from several smaller elements, and chunking to the process of creating a chunk. Gobet et al. (2001, p. 236) define a chunk as “a collection of elements having strong associations with one another, but weak associations with elements within other chunks.” However, in different contexts and with different authors, these two terms are used with a variety of meanings, which are very often conflated, leading to considerable confusion. Table 1 provides a taxonomy of the main meanings of “chunk” and “chunking,” which will be used to structure this article
‘No Level Up!’: No effects of video game specialization and expertise on cognitive performance
No full textPrevious research into the effects of action video gaming on cognition has suggested that long term exposure to this type of game might lead to an enhancement of cognitive skills that transfer to non-gaming cognitive tasks. However, these results have been controversial. The aim of the current study was to test the presence of positive cognitive transfer from action video games to two cognitive tasks. More specifically, this study investigated the effects that participants’ expertise and genre specialisation have on cognitive improvements in one task unrelated to video gaming (a flanker task) and one related task (change detection task with both control and genre-specific images). This study was unique in three ways. Firstly, it analysed a continuum of expertise levels, which has yet to be investigated in research into the cognitive benefits of video gaming. Secondly, it explored genre-specific skill developments on these tasks by comparing Action and Strategy video game players. Thirdly, it used a very tight experiment design, including the experimenter being blind to expertise level and genre specialisation of the participant. Ninety-two university students aged between 18 and 30 (M = 21.25) were recruited through opportunistic sampling and were grouped by video game specialization and expertise level. While the results of the flanker task were consistent with previous research (i.e. effect of congruence), there was no effect of expertise, and the action gamers failed to outperform the strategy gamers. Additionally, contrary to expectation, there was no interaction between genre specialisation and image type in the change detection task, again demonstrating no expertise effect. The lack of effects for game specialization and expertise goes against previous research on the positive effects of action video gaming on other cognitive tasks
