Why “Brain Training” doesn’t work | The Stochastic Man. Mmm...brains, anyone? Opening up my Guardian today, I was pleased to read their report on the Which? Magazine survey focusing on “Brain Training” games. You know the sort; the user is given a simple repetitive task to do, such as adding up numbers, and over time it will ‘improve’ your brain. Except that it won’t really.
Well, not much more then any other activity, such as doing a crossword. That won’t set you back £30 for one of their games as well. The Which? Fair play to the Guardian for being the only major British newspaper to report this, especially as they have a page on their jobs website sponsored by Lumosity in which one can, erm, ‘Train their Brain’ in order to “Improve basic cognitive abilities including memory and processing speed.” 'Train your brain' on the Guardian's own website Lumosity have been mentioned a lot in connection with this report, as it is their very own Michael Scanlon who offered a rebuttal to their findings. That’s not entirely true. 1) Few participants. Online brain-training: does it really work? | Science | The Observer. My week has been pretty hectic so far. On Monday, I manned a busy beach bar and had to remember a range of ice-cream and pizza orders for a constant stream of customers. On Tuesday, I had to shoot down a selection of rapidly moving birds in a forest dense with autumnal leaves.
On Wednesday, I had to think of as many words as I could beginning with "TO". And that was before I'd even started on memorising a repetitive polygon shape as it flashed up at ever-increasing speed. This is the wonderful world of "brain training". According to the website for Lumosity, which devised these games and is one of the best-known internet providers of brain training, setting aside a few minutes each day to complete the above tasks can make you feel "smarter, sharper, and brighter". That, at least, is the idea. In the US, brain-training programmes are used in schools, at a cost of up to $300 per child.
But do such initiatives have any kind of scientific basis? Memorize This! Exercises to Improve Memory Won't Help You Learn Better | Head Smart | Global Cognition. A recently released review of studies finds no evidence that working memory exercises improve general cognitive performance. In the last several years, working memory exercises have gained popularity. This is due in part to their claims to benefit students.
They are often sold as help for poor academic performance, ADHD, dyslexia, language disorders, and other issues. Some even claim to boost people’s IQs. Memory exercises are increasingly found online, and are widely used around the world in schools and clinics. A review of research testing the benefits of working memory exercises addressed the question head on. The study also concludes that working memory exercises are unlikely to be an effective treatment for children suffering from attention-deficit, hyperactivity, or dyslexia. According to Melby-Lervåg, the belief that memory exercises help is often based on the idea that you can train your brain in much the same way as you can lift weights to build muscle.
Related Articles: Lab UK - Brain Test Britain results. Brain training doesn't boost brain power, work suggests. Volunteers on Bang Goes the Theory got better at the games Brain training games do not improve overall brain power, a scientific study launched by the BBC suggests. The largest ever investigation followed 11,430 people over six weeks to see what effect, if any, playing brain training computer games would have. While players got progressively better at the games, the gains were not transferable, Nature journal reports. Players gained nothing in terms of general reasoning, memory, planning or visuospatial abilities, experts found. But they say more work is needed to see if workouts for the mind can help keep the brain "fit" as it ages. Leading game maker Nintendo said their Dr Kawashima brain training games did not claim to be scientifically proven to improve cognitive function.
In a statement it said the games require users to perform a number of "fun challenges incorporating simple arithmetic, memorization and reading". Put to the test Can You Train Your Brain? $1 Million Study Brings Big Benefit for Local Students. Brain Training Results. Results you can measure. Nearly 3,000 children and adults received training in 2009 at our 70 brain training centers throughout the United States. Some were college students. Others were career or senior adults. Many were students struggling to do better in school. At LearningRx, we measure the cognitive skills of every student before and after brain training. In the following report, you'll find proof of the life-changing gains our students experience as a result of one-on-one brain training at LearningRx. ... ... ... Our results will wow you. Kids and adults who participate in LearningRx brain training raise their IQs, think faster, learn easier and have better memory skills and concentration.
The results are in. Creative Acuity. In This Bloutcher Where Art, Life and Leadership CollideCreative AcuityCreative Acuity I just got off the phone with Bob Handley (not his real name.) Bob is the Head of Strategic Planning for a Fortune 500 Company (his real job.) Let's just say he works a lot with numbers. In the parlance of creativity, he's a left brain sort of guy. Except he really isn't. Several years ago Bob participated in one of my leadership workshops. It really hit home for him. Today, several years later, Bob has deepened his mastery of many of the tools and concepts in the workshop and continues to apply them on a daily basis. The original purpose of our conversation was to get Bob's feedback on a new online prototype of a leadership development program my team had been developing called The Leader's Studio. Despite this, Bob has found a clever--should we say creative? I call that "something" creativity. Here are some other preparation activities which trigger creative thinking:
Online Course: How to Be Your Own Brain Fitness Coach. Course Objective By the end of this online course you will have gained the understanding and information required to apply emerging science and tools to enhance your own brain health and functionality across the lifespan. Registered participants can log into the course here, and gain access to four recorded lectures–each lasting two hours– and to online materials and discussions. Session I. Debunking Brain and Brain Fitness Myths.Session II. How to Address the Basics.Session III. How to Build Brain-Based Capacities.Session IV. Course Description Summary: Information overload and longer lives expose our brains to more demands than even before.
Mechanics: The course consists of four two-hour-long lectures which were recorded in 2012, and an online private community for participants to access all materials and to interact. Who this is for Instructor and Guest Lecturers Guest Lecturer: Robert M. Required technology Materials Syllabus Session I. Companies turn to brain games to tackle work stress. By Katherine Reynolds Lewis FORTUNE -- Jeanne Siersdorfer is no stranger to distraction. The 59-year-old government relations specialist at Nationwide Insurance in Columbus, Ohio works in an open office environment where it's all too easy to latch onto cubicle neighbors' conversations. But Siersdorfer has a secret weapon: hours of computer time she's logged balancing a virtual basketball while other objects fly across the computer screen. "I catch myself and say, 'focus, focus, focus.' I visualize that crazy basketball and trying to balance it and the next thing I know, I'm back in my zone at work," she says.
Unlike other office workers who may play solitaire or Words With Friends on the sly, Nationwide actually encourages Siersdorfer to play the basketball game, among others, and has made it a part of its wellness plan. MORE: Looking ahead, optimism prevails. "The brain, we're finding out, is much like muscles in the body. "I've been aware of the science for quite a while. Online Brain Training - Our Research Findings and Discoveries. The Human Cognition Project (HCP) is a collaboration between Lumosity’s in-house science team and various academic scientists, clinicians, and educators interested in understanding and exploring human cognitive abilities.
HCP researchers receive free access to Lumosity’s tools and, in certain cases, limited access to select portions of Lumosity’s database of cognitive game performance. Currently, there are 43 ongoing HCP studies exploring topics such as age-related cognitive decline, interventions for PTSD, and the relationship between physical exercise and Lumosity training. The Research Behind Lumosity Learn about the science behind Lumosity's training program.
Learn More Get Involved in the HCP Researchers, educators, and clinicians are invited to submit a research proposal and apply to the HCP today. Learn More. Brain-based learning, ideas, and materials. The Benefits of Executive Control Training and the Implications for Language Processing | Frontiers in Cognition. 1 Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA 2 Center for Advanced Study of Language, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA Recent psycholinguistics research suggests that the executive function (EF) skill known as conflict resolution – the ability to adjust behavior in the service of resolving among incompatible representations – is important for several language processing tasks such as lexical and syntactic ambiguity resolution, verbal fluency, and common-ground assessment.
Here, we discuss work showing that various EF skills can be enhanced through consistent practice with working-memory tasks that tap these EFs, and, moreover, that improvements on the training tasks transfer across domains to novel tasks that may rely on shared underlying EFs. Keywords: cognitive training, executive function, conflict resolution, process-specificity, language processing, ambiguity resolution. About Us Advanced Brain Monitoring. For over a decade we have been designing and validating novel diagnostic devices and targeted treatment solutions. We specialize in the development of interfaces that can be easily applied by the user without assistance to obtain neuro, cardio, and respiratory signals equivalent to those obtained in a laboratory.
Our algorithms automate the analysis of these signals to provide unique metrics to characterize the user state or modify the state through real-time feedback. Our core competence is in the establishment of scientific validity for and commercial adoption of our innovative technologies. Our team has developed nine products and been issued 16 patents with 10 patents pending with the assistance of over $26 million in non-dilutive government R&D funding. We are an ISO 13485 medical device manufacturer. Management Profiles Board Members. Overview :: Personalized Medicine - Depression Treatment - Brain Database - Brain Resource.
Brain Resource creates brain products for everyday life which: help people train for peak brain health and fitnessreduce stress simply and objectivelyprovide rapid assessment of brain strengths & weaknessesenable landmark tests to predict treatment in Depression and ADHD Brain Resource products meet the growing need for brain solutions for a wide range of users including consumers, corporates, clinicians and research. Listed on publicly traded markets in the United States and Australia, Brain Resource has offices in San Francisco and Sydney and a global network of academics, scientists, researchers and leading Universities. Our Leadership Team brings with it decades of experience in the fields of Integrative Neuroscience, Finance, Health Care Provision, Genetics and Product & Business Development Read More > Brain Resource brings new insights and new efficiencies to managing brain health.
The Brain Business -- Great Potential and Big Risks. Brain Waves: The field of neurotechnology, the focus of this blog, encompasses advances in brain science (neurons), information technology (bits) and bioengineering (genes). Up for discussion and analys. Monday's Mercury News had an excellent feature article written by Steve Johnson on "The Brain Business. " It highlights several of the neurotech industry findings found in the report my company recently published on the industry. Here is a bit of the article (see the Mercury News website for more.... By Steve Johnson Mercury News The prospect of a billion people nearing the age when they risk brain-related illnesses like Alzheimer's disease or chronic pain is helping fuel a costly scramble by biotechnology firms to find solutions. The Bay Area has more than 30 companies, out of about 300 worldwide, developing brain-related products for everything from sleep and anxiety disorders to multiple sclerosis and stroke. Much of the focus of ``the brain industry,'' as it is dubbed, is on finding treatments for ailments likely to hit aging baby boomers.
Most of the niche's newcomers don't have products on the market yet and may not make a profit for years. Brain Resource Database :: Personalized Medicine - Depression Treatment - Brain Database - Brain Resource. Brain Resource’s proprietary Brain Database is the largest in the world and measures all aspects of the brain in a truly integrated and standardized platform – it powers all our products. By bringing together an array of brain related data, including genomic information, electrical measures of brain and body function, MRIs as well as cognitive and medical history data, we have a breadth of understanding and insight into the brain and its function which is unmatched.
It is not just the number of subjects, but the breadth of measures in the Brain Resource International Database (BRID) that offers unprecedented statistical power to tease out subtle but robust patterns in human brain performance. Measures in the Brain Resource International Database Read More > The Brain Resource International Database provides evidence for the brain-behavior connection so important to reliably enabling optimal solutions for mental health and wellbeing. The Database powers all Brain Resource products: Institute : Education. In a world that is socially interdependent and constantly changing, there is a growing need to elevate our collaboration and leadership capabilities.
Understanding the true drivers and biology behind our social behavior is becoming ever more urgent for leaders of all backgrounds and proficiencies. In the NeuroLeadership Institute’s Education Programs, you will gain a robust understanding of the brain and through this, the ability to leverage leadership interactions in entirely new and effective ways. Our programs will strengthen your ability to: Make decisions and solve problemsRegulate emotionsCollaborate with othersFacilitate change Our mission is to empower leaders by transforming leadership through neuroscience. Whether you’re a leader, manager, change agent, coach, or consultant, our comprehensive Education Programs represent the next chapter in your developmental journey.
Our Programs: NeuroLeadership 101Virtual: Four 90-minute Teleclasses | Live: One-day Workshop Alumni stories. Brain game company Lumosity earned $24M in revenue in 2012, now reaches 35M members. Instructors « Brain Boost.