Chunking -- Novice vs. Expert Board Recall¶
Run the Board Recall Task Fullscreen Edit Using the p5.js Editor
About This MicroSim¶
This MicroSim lets you re-run a simplified version of Chase and Simon (1973) on yourself. A configuration of chess pieces is displayed briefly, then hidden. You attempt to reconstruct the position from memory. Compare your performance on meaningful game positions vs. random arrangements to experience the chunking effect firsthand.
Controls:
- Condition -- Meaningful (realistic game position) or Random (same pieces, shuffled positions)
- Pieces -- number of pieces on the board (8 to 16)
- Show Time -- how long the position is displayed (2 to 10 seconds)
- Start Trial -- reveals the position for the show-time duration
- Submit -- scores your reconstruction attempt
- Reset Scores -- clears the running score chart
Learning Objective (Analyze): Given personal performance on meaningful and random configurations, explain why the gap between conditions diagnoses chunking capacity rather than raw memory capacity.