Brain-training games aren't all they're cracked up to be.

Started by Paradox, April 20, 2010, 05:17:18 PM

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Paradox

This is related to DarklingAlice's recent thread about Tetris, but it has a distinctly different focus; apparently, all of those brain-training games probably do not have much of a benefit after all.

You can read a simple version of the findings here, or you can read the actual study here.


Basically, the study found that such brain-training exercises only improve your performance on that specific game, as opposed to improving your overall mental agility as had previously been thought. Given the fact that the study used 11,430 subjects, I trust the results of this study a bit more than the results of a study that supported brain-training, which only used pre-schoolers.

However, after having read the actual study on Nature, I believe that this only applies to certain types of brain games. As mentioned in the article, a recent study found that a different type of game improved working memory, so perhaps this study has limited applicability.


"More than ever, the creation of the ridiculous is almost impossible because of the competition it receives from reality."-Robert A. Baker

Oniya

I would suspect that using a wide variety of brain trainers would be better than a single focus.  Much like you can't keep your body in shape with a single exercise (despite what late-night infomercials would like you to believe), you can't keep your various cognitive functions in shape with a single mental exercise.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
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Paradox

That's a very good point, and that's precisely why I think that the results lack overall applicability. I'd be interested to see if they do a follow-up study that uses more than the four games presented in this study. The amount of people was impressive, so now they just need to increase the battery of games.


"More than ever, the creation of the ridiculous is almost impossible because of the competition it receives from reality."-Robert A. Baker

DarklingAlice

For every complex problem there is a solution that is simple, elegant, and wrong.


mystictiger

I'm skeptical of any analogy drawn to muscles when discussing brain function.

There was an interesting paper regarding Alzheimer's Disease I read a few months back - education does not protect one from AD, rather it masks the symptoms. You build a greater degree of cognitive reserve.

I suspect that Brain Gym and related products are the magic-pill equivalent of mental performance. There's only one way to get a 'good brain' and that's the hard way - be keep intellectually active, alert, awake and by learning New Things.
Want a system game? I got system games!

Oniya

I only used that analogy in the sense that if you use a function repeatedly, whether that's the motion of an arm or advanced Calculus, you're more likely to retain the use of that function.  If you cease using a function completely, you tend to lose the same sort of fluidity that you previously enjoyed - again, whether that's through muscular atrophy or simply forgetting.  Subsequent to that loss, it generally takes a certain amount of 'rehab' (exercises, perhaps gradually increasing in complexity) to regain that ability.

The 'Brain Gym' games, from what I've seen, focus on keeping the player thinking, even on some low level.  Me, I prefer the Sunday Times crossword and Sudoku.  In ink
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Vekseid

Quote
...
The recruits were then split into three groups who spent the next six weeks doing different brain-training tests on the BBC Lab UK website, for at least 10 minutes a day, three times a week.
...

...color me skeptical >_>

LaurenMichelle

Kind of interesting... kind of thought that already, but since I haven't played any of them, didn't know. My mom on the other hand has several for her Nintendo DS and swears by them. I don't know.

AmandaBear1776

Tetris was suppose to be a mind sharpening game? I thought that was prime video gaming in the 70's like Pong was in the.... back in the day.

Oniya

It's a puzzle game - you have to think about where to put each piece, and the better you can visualize spacial relations, the better you tend to do.  Pong, you just had to move the paddle in front of the ball.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17