Why kids who play chess outperform their classmates – Part II
Website design By BotEap.comThis is the second part of a three-part article series investigating the scientific research on the value of chess as a tool to aid cognitive development. In this part, the study by Fried and Ginsburg (The Effect of Learning to Play Chess on Cognitive, Perceptual, & Emotional Development in Children. Unpublished document available from the US Chess Federation) will be discussed.
Website design By BotEap.comFried and Ginsburg study
Website design By BotEap.comA later study by Steven Fried and Norman Ginsburg expanded on Christiaen’s study by attempting to
“…to identify specific cognitive, perceptual-motor, and emotional gains produced by learning chess and that may explain the performance enhancement as demonstrated in Christiaen’s study.” Website design By BotEap.comThe Fried and Ginsburg study used three measures to assess cognitive abilities: the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Revised (WISC-R) block design subtest, the WISC-R picture completion subtest, as an indicator from visual awareness to detail; and the Survey of School Attitudes, as a measure of respect for the school. The study design used three treatment conditions: one group received chess instruction twice a week for eighteen weeks, another attended a biweekly “rap” session during the same period, while the third group served as a control group without contact. Website design By BotEap.comThe study results did not clearly identify any specific areas of significant differentiation between groups. However, picture completion taste showed a trend in the predicted direction with the highest-scoring chess group, the counseling group next, followed by the non-contact control group. In the other two test categories, significant gender-related differences were observed within the chess group. The authors hypothesize that gender-related factors such as male competitiveness and aggressiveness are involved, but concede that more research is required to explore these factors. Website design By BotEap.com“Value of Chess as a Learning Aid, Part III” will discuss another study that provides compelling evidence that chess makes your children smarter. It will soon be available on this website.
“…to identify specific cognitive, perceptual-motor, and emotional gains produced by learning chess and that may explain the performance enhancement as demonstrated in Christiaen’s study.” Website design By BotEap.comThe Fried and Ginsburg study used three measures to assess cognitive abilities: the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Revised (WISC-R) block design subtest, the WISC-R picture completion subtest, as an indicator from visual awareness to detail; and the Survey of School Attitudes, as a measure of respect for the school. The study design used three treatment conditions: one group received chess instruction twice a week for eighteen weeks, another attended a biweekly “rap” session during the same period, while the third group served as a control group without contact. Website design By BotEap.comThe study results did not clearly identify any specific areas of significant differentiation between groups. However, picture completion taste showed a trend in the predicted direction with the highest-scoring chess group, the counseling group next, followed by the non-contact control group. In the other two test categories, significant gender-related differences were observed within the chess group. The authors hypothesize that gender-related factors such as male competitiveness and aggressiveness are involved, but concede that more research is required to explore these factors. Website design By BotEap.com“Value of Chess as a Learning Aid, Part III” will discuss another study that provides compelling evidence that chess makes your children smarter. It will soon be available on this website.