Chess and Individual Differences

This book adopts an individual differences approach to explain the psychology of chess by reviewing an extensive body of research.

Angel Blanch (Author)

9781108469456, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 15 December 2022

310 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.7 cm, 0.454 kg

'This book is essential reading for those interested in the psychological research on chess. It provides an excellent summary of the evidence about the factors that can explain individual differences in the game and integrates this knowledge into a coherent theoretical framework. In this way, it can inspire researchers and chess players themselves.' Roland H. Grabner, Professor of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria

Research from the neurosciences and behavioural sciences highlights the importance of individual differences in explaining human behaviour. Individual differences in core psychological constructs, such as intelligence or personality, account for meaningful variations in a vast range of responses and behaviours. Aspects of chess have been increasingly used in the past to evaluate a myriad of psychological theories, and several of these studies consider individual differences to be key constructs in their respective fields. This book summarizes the research surrounding the psychology of chess from an individual- differences perspective. The findings accumulated from nearly forty years' worth of research about chess and individual differences are brought together to show what is known - and still unknown - about the psychology of chess, with an emphasis on how people differ from one another.

1. Introduction
2. Quantifying chess skill
3. Cognition
4. Individual differences
5. Psychophysiology and brain functioning
6. Intelligence
7. Personality
8. Expertise
9. Sex difference
10. Applications
11. Concluding remarks.

Subject Areas: Game theory [PBUD], Mathematics [PB], Intelligence & reasoning [JMRN], Memory [JMRM], Learning [JMRL], Psychology [JM]