Cognitive Mechanisms Underlying Memory Advantages in Bridge Experts: Based on Suit Categorization and Honor Card...

To explore the memory advantage and the underlying mechanisms of bridge experts, this study conducted two experiments. Experiment 1 investigated the effects of the suit categorization rule and the rank ordering rule on the memory performance of bridge experts when memorizing hands. The findings revealed that the suit categorization rule significantly influenced the memory advantage of bridge experts, regardless of whether the task involved recognition or free recall. Conversely, the rank ordering rule had no discernible effect on their memory performance, though the honor card information within this rule notably impacted their memory. Building on the first experiment, Experiment 2 further examined the roles of visual familiarity induced by the suit categorization and honor card rules, alongside the abstract knowledge embedded in these rules, on the memory performance of bridge experts. The results demonstrated that visual familiarity influenced recognition among bridge experts, while both visual familiarity and abstract knowledge jointly contributed to recall performance. These research findings concurrently support both chunking/template theory and SEEK theory.