--- Kevin Stevens <Kevin_Stevens@Bigfoot.com> wrote:
> ....
>
> ....
> I've known perfectly well since age eleven of an
> empirical theory which I never
> applied to autocross until I was already able to
> keep the entire course in my
> head (which took me about three years). That theory
> is that normal humans can
> keep track of no more than about six things at once.
This is Miller's "5+/- 2" law, well known to anyone
interested in cognition. He published the paper in
1956. If you thought of it before him, well done.
....
> This helps reduce the course
> into a maneageable number of elements.
This process is called "chunking" It's part of the
abstract thought capability that allows you to reason.
Check out "Fundamentals of Human Memory Cognition", by
Ellis and Hunt, pub WCB, 1989, pp71-72, for one
example.
> the Round 1 course turns
...
> Be interesting to hear some others' techniques.
>
After having spent years studying, researching and
publishing human cognition/AI stuff, I tried to apply
it to autox - it seems like a perfect example for many
of the reasons you outline. The outcome has been
personally and professionally frustrating.
I could never make chunking work *for me*, eventually
realizing that I have very limited recall during or
after a run - i.e. my mind goes blank between the
green and checkered flags - making application of any
mental-chunking idea worthless.
I stopped thinking so hard and now just drive as fast
as i can instead. It hurts my brain less to say "drive
fast" than analyzing a course.
That said, with enough practice, autoxing will become
"compiled knowledge" in the sense as riding a bicycle
- you can do it, but can't explain how. In other
words, you can develop an instinct.
I do try and pinpoint 1 or 2 corners that might be
difficult. This approach seems to work on simple fast
courses, I usually come undone on anything "technical"
On Sunday the only mental note I made was the "water
jump" nothing else seemed tricky enough to note.
Craig
> KeS
>
> (Oh, how did it all work? Well, I blew element six
> on my first two runs, and
> element three on my last run. You still have to
> execute!)
>
>
Do You Yahoo!?
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