Quite a while back, I blogged about the brain exercising site Lumosity.  I decided to try it out, first through the open beta, then signing up for a (slightly expensive) monthly fee.  I made it a point to run through a session at least every other day, and more often, every day.

I recently completed my first course - 30 sessions focusing on speeding up and generally strengthening the four main areas of brain activity:  Memory, attention, cognitive control, and processing speed. 

It has been gratifying to see my scores and BPI - that's Brain Performance Index for those of you who have yet to try the site - increase.  What I'm less sure of is whether that merely shows an increase in skill level in game play or actual improvement in brain performance.  Or even if that is a valid questionl.

However, I enjoy the games and look forward to playing them.  It is a truth that I feel more awake and alert after playing them, although, in line with my earlier question, I'm not entirely sure that this would not be true with a different set of games or mental exercises, like a crossword or a chess match.

In any case, Lumosity has recently added more games and I have enrolled in a shorter course designed to beef up my processing speed by isolating it, much like a body builder can isolate certain muscle groups for better overall fitness.  The screengrab associated with this post is one such game - called Word Bubbles - where in the player is given a sequence of three letters, in this case "pen" and the player must type in as many words as he or she can think of that use this word within the time limit.  It's harder than it sounds.

If Lumosity can keep bringing forth new and innovative games, combined with the general ease-of-use, and good, and accessible, record keeping, I will be happy to keep sending them my money every month.

Apparently, I am merely average. 

Please try to ignore my ego there, writhing on the floor, mortally wounded, while I explain.

This evening, via Make Use Of, I found the brain training site Lumosity.  Their comments:

"cool brain fitness program that claims to improve your memory, attention and processing speed. Make sure to take their 10-min LumosIQ brightness test (free only while in beta)."

I surfed over to the site and took the IQ test, where I scored, almost exactly, average.  The test is actually broken into three smaller games that test Attention, Processing Speed, and Memory.

The Attention test is a game centered on the idea of Bird Watching.  A background picture is loaded and then birds appear in various locations on the screen.  Meanwhile, in the center of the screen is a small box where a letter of the alphabet appears at the same time as the bird.  The idea is to use your mouse to locate the bird while keeping track of which letter has appeared.  Essentially, the test determines how well you can track two simultaneous pieces of new information.

The Processing Speed Test was a series of mathematical equations.  Simple problems involving the four basic mathematical skills are presented in a series of falling water droplets.  The goal is to type the answer before the droplets hit the water.  Wrong answers are penalized.

The Memory Test is another game, this time an "avoid the monsters" style maze.  A character is presented on screen, along with a flower.  Monsters are shown in various locations and then hidden.  You must remember where the monsters are and avoid them on your way to the flower.  After you have gotten the flower, you will have a chance for bonus points for correctly identifying where various kinds of monsters are hidden.

Once I had taken the test (and presented with my score) I was given a chance to sign up and begin a series of training exercises designed to improve my score.  I signed up immediately.

The screenshot you see with this post is my score page after my first session.  Not perfect, but it says that I'm improving. 

Which is where my question comes in.  I enjoyed the test and I like the challenge of trying to improve my scores, but will this actually result in any real world changes?  I like to think so, but what does improving a score really prove?  That I can play the games better?  Doesn't everyone play better with practice?

I plan to keep up with the sessions.  If nothing else it's another way to avoid real work, but I really am wondering if I'll be able to see any results in a month.  I wonder if I'll notice a difference in my memory or in my ability to do simple math more quickly.

Anyway, the beta is free and the site notes that there will be fees eventually, so get in and see how well you do.  Let me know.  Unless you scored better than I did.  In that case, just give me a month to prep for the re-match.

Cheers,