Is Expert Memory Better Than Non-Expert Memory

Having read Snowball I was struck with Buffett’s ability to memorize financial data.  I couldn’t help from thinking if it was possible for other investors to develop this skill as well. Don’t get me wrong, I still think Buffett is essentially a savant, but perhaps so much practice has led him learn & incorporate details quicker than others.  If so could it be that if we all started at age 5 we could be like Buffett?  (Note: I understand this might brief thought includes some hazzy logic.)

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Article Introduction (Via Cognitive Daily)

In a 2007 study, Kim Curby and Isabel Gauthier found that “experts” seem to have a larger visual working memory in their area of expertise than non-experts. (Nearly all humans are experts at recognizing faces, unless the faces are upside-down). But a team led by Miranda Scolari wasn’t convinced. Maybe the distinction between expert and non-expert isn’t the size of working memory, but how detailed it is.

Conclusion (Via Cognitive Daily)

The researchers say this means that experts do not have a larger working memory capacity than non-experts. Instead, their memory is more detailed. If experts really had a larger capacity, then they should be more accurate when the faces shift from upright to cube versus inverted to cube. They’re not, even though they could spot a different upright face three times more often than a different inverted face. So experts remember more details, just not more different items.

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