Key Concepts

• Adaptivity

  Each individual brings his or her own unique set of strengths and weaknesses to any new task. A task that is quite easy for one person might be impossible for another. In order to derive benefit from training, the level of difficulty must be appropriately set at a level that is challenging without being discouraging. This level is different for each individual, and it will change over time as performance improves. This response to challenge is a central component of how the nervous system operates, and shaping the response properties of the system progressively and adaptively is a part of all effective learning processes. The critical insight for the purposes of cognitive training lies in the precise methods by which task difficulty is adjusted. Each task needs to be adapted in a way that optimizes training intensity and improvement in that domain. The ability to adjust task difficulty in response to individual users’ performance on a moment-to-moment basis is one of the key innovations in cognitive training that has been made possible by computer technology.

• Cognitive reserve

  Cognitive reserve represents the brain's resilience, its ability to cope with damage resulting from trauma, illness and age. More specifically, cognitive reserve speaks to the brain’s ability to maximize its performance by recruiting different or alternate brain networks to solve problems historically managed by now-damaged areas. Childhood cognition, educational attainment, and adult occupation all contribute to cognitive reserve. Research shows that brain training can also actively help individuals of all ages strengthen their cognitive reserve. That said, only brain training that challenges the brain with adaptive, novel and engaging exercises produces noticeable and long-term results.

• Completeness

  Many brain training programs were developed in the context of a narrow academic framework that targeted only a single neural system with highly specialized training. However, the brain is a highly complex, interacting, and integrated system. Training on a limited aspect of brain function, such as visual attention, auditory processing, or working memory, in isolation is unlikely to yield optimal results for real world function. Engaging in the tasks of daily living – working, going to school, caring for loved ones, recreating, etc. – requires the proper functioning of all aspects of cognition. If information is not processed rapidly, then rapidly evolving events, such as the plot of an action movie, will fly past and be missed. If this information is never properly processed, then it will not capture one’s attention, and will likely not be stored in memory. Similarly, if attention is limited, and cognitive energy and effort are not properly allocated, then critical information and events, such as the key plot twists in the movie, will be missed. Finally, if memory systems don’t function optimally, even attended-to information may not be retained over time, and it will be impossible to pull together disparate information – such as plot twists – into a coherent whole. Even in the simple case of watching an action film, all aspects of brain function must work together to lead to optimal understanding and appreciation.

• Engagement

  To get the most out of brain training, individuals should train often and consistently. To encourage people to do so, effective brain training must therefore possess engaging exercises and an effective reward structure. When the brain is in an engaged and rewarded state, it is much more open to learning and change. What’s more, the very process of being rewarded for correct responses in a given task teaches the brain mechanisms to process that information more effectively. The reward for correct performance tells the brain, “That worked, do that again when confronted with the same situation in the future.” If you are rewarded for your hard work, for example by receiving praise from colleagues, friends, or family, you will be more likely to work hard in the future. This basic premise holds for both physical and mental exercise, as well. One of the biggest reasons why many of us do not exercise as much as we should is that it can really hurt. We are much more likely to engage in exercise if it is fun and enjoyable.

• Fluid intelligence

  Fluid intelligence is the capacity to think logically independent of acquired knowledge. It is the ability to analyze novel problems, identify patterns, and extrapolate relationships. It is necessary for all logical problem solving, especially scientific, mathematical and technical problem solving. Researchers have found that the Dual N-Back significantly improves fluid intelligence measures.

• Neuroplasticity

  Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s lifelong ability to reshape neural connections when faced with new experiences. Only recently, though, have neuroscientists discovered the extent of this ability. Given the right challenge, the brain can actually become faster and more efficient. Neuroplasticity, in other words, means anyone can improve their brain, and no matter what their age.

• Novelty

  In order to effectively exercise a brain, we must confront it with novel tasks and challenges. Many of the mental challenges typically recommended for brain health, for example crossword puzzles and bridge, are highly over-learned tasks that do not force the brain’s processing systems to operate in new ways. Yet unless we process information in new ways, we cannot initiate nervous system remodeling and growth. The brain creates specialized circuitry for doing particular tasks. Tasks that have been performed many times in the past simply reactivate the existing circuitry. This form of stimulation may be helpful in keeping the brain active, but it will not drive fundamental improvements in information processing. Take the case of crossword puzzles: as we work our way through a crossword puzzle, we recall information we have already learned in the past, albeit in the form of words. We are reactivating existing circuitry, not challenging the brain to work in new ways. Crossword puzzles thus provide a relatively inefficient form of brain exercise.

• Processing speed

  Processing speed measures how quickly the brain can perform basic cognitive operations, and is thus a good general indicator of intelligence. The faster you can process information, the faster you can respond to the world, e.g. while driving or making snap decisions. The brain’s processing speed unfortunately declines with age. With Lumosity’s training program, though, you can push the limit of your information processing speed.

• Targeting

  Effective brain training targets the specific brain functions necessary to produce significant and noticeable changes in our everyday cognitive life. Unlike poorly designed brain exercises that improve nothing but a user’s ability to complete the exercise, highly effective brain training improves not just an individual’s proficiency with the exercise itself, but also his or her ability to perform real-world tasks. Cognitive psychologists use the word “transfer” to describe the process whereby selectively-targeted exercises produce real-world cognitive benefits. Well designed exercises accomplish this transfer by improving multiple cognitive functions at once. That said, since no one training task can improve all aspects of cognition, an effective training program involves carefully crafting training tasks that target the most critical aspects of brain function.

• Working memory

  Working memory represents the cognitive ability to temporarily retrieve, hold, process and dispose of information from both long-term memory and the world around you. The better your working memory, the more information you can synthesize. Like processing speed, working memory declines with age. To address this concern, Lumosity offers several exercises based on the Dual N-Back, which research shows can significantly improve working memory.

To learn even more about neuroscience, explore our Knowledge Center and Blog, where you can read more about neuroscience history, research and recent developments.