This is the second part of a three-part series of articles 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 Unpublished paper available from the US Chess Federation) will be discussed.
Fried and Ginsburg Study
A later study by Steven Fried and Norman Ginsburg extended Christiaen’s study by attempting
“…to identify specific cognitive, perceptual-motor, and emotional gains produced by chess learning that may explain the performance enhancement as demonstrated in the Christiaen study.”
The 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 School Attitudes Survey, 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 fortnightly “rap” session for the same period, while the third group acted as a control group without Contact.
The results of the study did not clearly identify any specific areas of significant differentiation between groups. However, liking for picture completion showed a trend in the predicted direction with the highest scoring chess group, the advice group next, followed by the no 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 admit that more research is required to explore these factors.
The “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.