Elite Performers and Memory
Chess players have a reputation for having a terrific memory, though some studies have suggested that their memory is tied to their domain rather than being powerful across the board. (The test where strong players were given absurd chess "positions" to memorize, and where they performed only slightly better than club players and novices, doesn't strike me as a refutation. It does show that an experienced player's chess memory works in a certain way, but if there are multiple mental/brain systems involved in memory it does little to show that the best players' general memory skills are no better than those of an ordinary cross-section of the population.)
At any rate, there are interesting and similar stories about the memories of elite performers in other activities. Here's a story about NBA superstar LeBron James's memory - both in general and for basketball. Here's a clip of him showing off his basketball memory, followed by comments by Draymond Green (another major NBA star) and Steve Kerr (a former NBA player and current coach of the Golden State Warriors). What's especially interesting is that while both Green and Kerr are impressed, they take that sort of memory as par for the course (with some variability) for top players.
The chicken, or the egg?
Reader Comments (3)
I think people in general have an amazing memory for things that are really, really important to them and that they spend a lot of time with. I'm pretty sure memory takes a back seat in basketball compared to the more obvious aspects of talent.
I think if you look at any sport or field of study those at the top level appear to have superhuman memory skills. I don't believe it is a specific talent but simply practice and experience. If you think about how you remember a chess position. A non-player might try to remember the pattern of three small pieces on f7, g7 and h7, and a piece with a cross on its head on g8 and the castley looking guy on f8. A chess player, even a beginner, thinks 0-0. Maybe White has a Bishop on b2 and a Queen on c3. The total beginner might miss the mate on g7 and may misplace the Queen and Bishop, but even a weak player will see it and have little difficulty reconstructing the position. The stronger the player the more patterns they see in the position.
[DM: Yes, I'm aware of chunking and realize that it's a large part of the story. But - anecdotally - I know strong players with excellent general memories, and my memory is well above average too (though certainly not eidetic). Further, one's ability to grasp more chunks may be a function of their superior memory skills. So I don't think chunking answers the question.]
LeBron James must re-play the game in his head just like any chess player and has probably been doing this since he was a kid. But I am sure he would have difficulty remembering a soccer game.
[DM: It's a pretty safe assumption that his basketball memory is better than his soccer memory. But in the article the point was made that he had demonstrated an impressive memory in non-basketball matters as well.]
<What's especially interesting is that while both Green and Kerr are impressed, they take that sort of memory as par for the course (with some variability) for top players.>
But the question I guess remains: do the top players have sharper memories in general, or sharper domain-specific memories? LeBron James might be a special case of an athlete who has both. But the comments from Green and Kerr seemed to be more about domain-specific memory, if I am understanding it right.