
Simple brain exercise can boost IQ - alex_c
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/dn13786-simple-brain-exercise-can-boost-iq.html
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whacked_new
Man, this thing is literally what I have been working on since last week. Now
it's mentioned in NS I have to rush like there's no tomorrow.

The n-back test is basically a short term memory task. It is has been found to
be a strong indicator of fluid intelligence because it is determined by
attention and ability to manipulate and perform comparisons on objects stored
in the STM buffer. 2-back test is fairly easy without distractions; 3-back
becomes very taxing for the untrained. And it can definitely be improved.

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alex_c
To be honest, my motivation for posting it here was to see how long until
someone starts working on a site based on it.

I have to admit, negative 7 days is sooner than I expected :p

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whacked_new
Actually I wrote my first n-back test close to two years ago, but for myself.
The biggest reason why I wanted to make a web version is because of all these
brain games popping up, made by people who don't know what they're talking
about. This thing is for real.

I'm also working on subitization test variants, but that's much more familiar.

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palish
Since you've trained with n-back (for two years!):

Did it improve your fluid intelligence?

How has it affected you personally?

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whacked_new
Haha, back then I wasn't really into database applications and built it just
to experience it. That's how I know that 2-back is fairly easy and 3-back
isn't, but beyond that I can't answer you (yet).

I gave my dad a 3-back test, on which he did surprisingly well, and he said,
"oh, that's easy, all you have to do is concentrate." Indeed, a big portion of
it is attention.

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jcl
FWIW, the researchers say they will be making an English version of their
training software available for download here, eventually:

[http://www.apn.psy.unibe.ch/lenya/apn/live/anwendung/braintw...](http://www.apn.psy.unibe.ch/lenya/apn/live/anwendung/braintwister.html)

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jkush
If there's anything I learned from statistics, it's the sneakiness of the word
"significant". What, exactly, is a significant boost? Two points? Ten?

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Raphael
I have a few questions.

Is the game grid-based or free form?

Is the image advanced on a timer or at the player's control? If it is a timer,
does the interval ever change?

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brian_d_w
there is a new iphone version on the app store. It's called IQ boost. The web
site is <http://tnxbai.com> there is a link to the app store from there.

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nelud
Can solving math problems boost IQ?

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whacked_new
I thought of this question before, and I don't think so. I think a boosted IQ
would precede boosted math problem solving ability, because it deals very much
with abstractions and an efficient working memory: "suppose x = a, y = c, z =
g, then if xyzabc123, qwerty." Each additional step puts increasing stress on
the WM buffer since everything needs to be maintained simultaneously for I/O.

You can, however, improve your speed at solving well-defined math problems by
practicing them a lot. I believe this would eventually utilize episodic memory
(HD space) rather than WM, which uses a different mechanism. But the speed
would probably not generalize to novel problems, which is what I think you're
getting at.

