将棋棋士の直観と脳

Brain Mechanisms of Intuition in Shogi Experts

直観とは，普通の人には困難な問題を短時間にほとんど無意識に解くエキスパートの能力のことである。筆者らの研究グループは将棋のプロ棋士またはアマチュア高段者の脳活動を測定し，次の具体手の直観的決定には大脳基底核が，攻めるか守るかの戦略の直観的決定には帯状皮質が重要な働きをすることを見出した。長い訓練を経てエキスパートになると，普通の人では原始的な行動で働くこれらの進化的に古い脳部位が，高度に認知的な問題解決に使われるようになる。

Abstract

Intuition is the ability of experts to rapidly solve complicated problems that are highly difficult for the average person. We have measured the brain activity of professional and high-level amateur shogi players, and found that the basal ganglia plays an important role in the ability to rapidly determine, or intuit, the best next-move in a game situation. Additionally, we found that areas in the cingulate cortex are essential for making quick, intuitive, strategic decisions (attack or defense) at any given board position. These findings suggest that experts, after long-term, focused training, can use these evolutionarily-old brain structures for “intuitive” decision-making, which, in non-experts, are only involved in primitive behaviors.