Testing the benefits of training the brain
01 August, 2018
Stojanoski and colleagues explain in their paper that the controversy around the cognitive benefits of brain-training apps is mainly due to the fact that most studies have not chosen precise cognitive skills and outcome measures in a consistent manner.
To correct this, they used "a targeted training approach" in which 72 participants were trained on "two different, but related, working memory tasks."
Working memory refers to the brain's ability to retain new information — such as a new name, a shopping list, or a telephone number — for a short period of time.
The participants took part in two experiments. One tested their working memory in a certain task that they had been trained on, and the other tested them on another, related task that they received no specific training in. The second task engaged the same brain areas as the first.
The researchers compared the results with those of a control group that received no training whatsoever, but whose participants were tested only on the second task.