Can Proficiency in Chess Predict Situation Awareness in a Novel Task?

This study explored the correlation between situation awareness (SA) and proficiency in chess. Eighteen participants were tested, performing a letter factory (LF) task and providing their ELO scores. Each participant received $10 for 30 min of participation. The results showed a negative correlation between the number of games played and the SA score, suggesting that increased gameplay was associated with lower SA in the letter factory task. Additionally, the ELO score was negatively correlated with the number of double attempts to place a designated letter in the loading boxes, indicating that more skilled players made fewer errors.