Brain Training Can Really Work If It’s the Right Method
Many people will tell you that these brain training games won’t make you smarter , and for the most part, that’s true . But recent research shows that you can boost your brain power with the right type of targeted training.
A Johns Hopkins University study published in the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement suggests that there is one useful exercise that people can do that targets a specific part of your brain that is responsible for short-term memory – the prefrontal cortex. Regular exercise can improve this type of memory, which in turn can help you succeed in some basic tasks, according to the researchers. They believe that stronger short-term memory can be helpful for simple things like remembering phone numbers and directions, as well as the more important problem-solving skills needed to do well in school and at work.
So what kind of exercise? This is called a double-n-back memorization sequence test where you need to memorize a continuously updated sequence of both visual and auditory stimuli. In this study, participants watched the blinking squares on a grid and heard the letters, and over time, the ordeal became more difficult. In fact, this is the classic children’s electronic game “Simon”, but more difficult. You can see an example of the test in the video above.
The study’s lead author, Kara J. Baker, says people either believe that cognitive training works or they don’t, but that’s not all :
“We have shown that it is important what kind of training you provide. This task seems to be the most consistent and has the greatest impact on performance, and we should focus on it if we are interested in improving cognitive performance through training. ”
The researchers now hope to better understand why double n-back works so well and how they can make it even more effective. The next step may be to turn exercise into a marketable or clinically useful brain training program.