The Deoksoo Study

Does Playing Go Make Kids Smarter?

Extensive chess studies l tell us that games can help mind to develop more fully, but does Go work too? That’s the question Baromi Kim asked in a recent doctoral dissertation at Kyung Hee University , according to the JoongAng newspaper. After testing 68 5-year-olds at The Deoksoo Elementary School in Seoul, Dr. Kim randomly divided them into two groups, enrolled half in Go instruction, then retesting both groups seven months later, using the K-WPPSI-III.

On nonverbal measures, the control group showed increase of 9.8 from 99.8 to 109.4; while the experimental group showed a much bigger increase of 15.7, from 103.1 to 118.8.

In the area of concentration, the control group rose from 96.9 to 186.9 according to the report, while the experimental group increased from 92.2 to 249.3.

The test of patience, or delayed gratification, produced a surprising result. . While it is thought that most children's ability increases over time, those who did not participate in the Go program went down in the patience score from 566 to 487. Those who learned Go, increased from 555 to 664.

Analysis

The sample size is rather small, but on the other hand the effect seems quite large. Other factors could account for some of the rise in scores. The WPPSI has been criticized as vulnerable to the "practice effect" -- that is, subjects do better the second time because they are familiar with the test. However, this would apply to both groups, and might explain the rise in scores among the control group, but not the larger rise of experimental group scores. Another common factor is the "halo effect" -- subjects do well because they know they are part of a special study. So control subjects may have been inspired to do better by being included in the experiement, while the kids who studied Go did even better, because they knew they were receiving "treatment."

Strategy games are widely believed to enhance mental development. Other studies have found similar gains among chess players. Does Go have a more positive impact on development than other similar games such as chess? This question would be difficult to study -- a second experimental group have to be added, learning another game rather than Go, and the two experimental groups would be compared. Utimately, the answer to this question transcends statistical analysis. Lines of pieces attacking each other, vs. competing for something of value -- the two games offer different paradigms.

In one way, Go is unquestionably superior to chess. Because of the handicap system, players have a much wider range of opponents they can play on a level playing field. On the other hand, chess is an endemic part of Western society -- chess players can easily find opponents. This probably a futile debate, like wondering whether the heart or the lungs are more essential to life. Clearly both games offer fertile arenas for growth and development.

- Roy Laird, Ph.D.