No differences were seen between the experts and casual players and thw FFA was activated to a greater extent when players viewed faces than when they viewed a chess board. However, when viewing chess positions the FFA was activated more in experts than in casual players.
Simply viewing a chess board with the pieces in the starting position created greater FFA activation in the experts. This difference in activation increased even further when the two groups were asked to analyze other than the starting position.
The question is, Why? To recognize a face, we need to see more than the eyes, nose, and mouth. We also need to analyze the spatial relationships between all these features. In a similar fashion an understanding of the spatial relationships between the pieces is crucial for chess players. It’s believed that the FFA is particularly good at recognizing global spatial patterns.
It’s not known if the FFA is a facial recognition area at birth or becomes one soon after, but its role as such is bolstered by our lifelong experience with viewing faces and the importance of facial recognition in everyday life.
Interestingly, if another demand that requires spatial processing or comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole, the FFA may be honed for that skill as well. In expert chess players the FFA is used for that purpose.
The article points out that our brain is highly adaptable and opportunistic. While certain areas may be wired for specific functions and skills, novel demands and extensive experience can recruit and perhaps rewire those regions to allow us to develop expertise in all sorts of ways.
Further reading:
Chess Expertise and the Fusiform Face Area: Why It Matters
Fusiform Face Area in Chess Expertise
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