Moves in Mind: The Psychology of Board Games

Board games have long fascinated as mirrors of intelligence, skill, cunning, and wisdom. While board games have been the topic of many scientific studies, and have been studied for more than a century by psychologists, there was until now no single volume summarizing psychological research into board games. This book, which is the first systematic study of psychology and board games, covers topics such as perception, memory, problem solving and decision making, development, intelligence, emotions, motivation, education, and neuroscience. It also briefly summarizes current research in artificial intelligence aiming at developing computers playing board games, and critically discusses how current theories of expertise fare with board games. Finally, it shows that the information provided by board game research, both data and theories, have a wider relevance for the understanding of human psychology in general.

About the Author

Ferdnand Gobet is Professor of Psychology at Brunel University, West London. He is an International Master of the International Chess Federation and has played for several years with the Swiss national team. Alex de Voogt is at the University of Leiden and Managing Editor of the journal Board Game Studies . Jean Retschitzki is Professor of Psychology at the University of Fribourg. He was elected as President of the Swiss Society of Psychology in 1998