Brain Test Britain
Here’s something interesting happening over in England. Apparently some BBC TV show with the tagline “Get ready to put science to the test” is launching what it claims will be the largest investigation into the efficacy of brain training with brain games. So far they have 25,000 people signed up for this experiment which aims to find out how if brain training works, and if it does, what mental faculties benefit the most from the process. Looks like anyone can sign up so think about it – it sound like a fun experiment to be part of. The time commitment is 10 minutes a day / 3 times a week / for 6 weeks.
Check out Brain Test Britain
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This is a fantastic idea. Unfortunately, they might end up getting the wrong answer because of the design of the study. The only brain training that’s been shown to have a significant effect of brain function required a more intensive level of training — about thirty minutes per day, 5 times per week. (And it used a very demanding training mechanism called “dual n-back working memory training.”)
Martin
Yeah I agree that this isn’t necessarily the most well-designed study. The demands in terms of playing time may not be enough and there are all sorts of variables involved that cannot be controlled for. I am not sure I agree though with your suggestion that the dual n-back training is the only effective method of computer-based brain training, there have been other studies that have demonstrated the efficacy of brain fitness programs that go beyond that one exercise.