Adrian de Groot

Adrian de Groot was a Dutch psychologist renowned for his work on judgment and decision-making, particularly in chess. He studied how expert chess players think and make moves, revealing that their decisions are based on recognizing familiar patterns and structures rather than calculating every possible move. His research helped establish the understanding that expertise involves extensive knowledge and pattern recognition, influencing psychology and cognitive science. De Groot’s work laid the foundation for further studies on human expertise and problem-solving, demonstrating how experience and mental organization shape skilled performance across various fields.