6 ms·

Dual N-Back Training for Intelligence

47 points by Jasber 15y ago

davidhollander 15y ago
If anyone is looking for an open source python version that doesn't require silverlight: http://brainworkshop.sourceforge.net/ http://brainworkshop.sourceforge.net/
erikmork 15y ago
Hi! I'm the author of soak your head. We worked with the researchers to follow the scientific paper as closely as possible. Feel free to use the app (the source is open and available on the site). In addition, we already have the application in the Windows Phone 7 marketplace, and it's on its way to the iOS app store.
- toisanji 15y ago
  what is your contact info, I would like to contact you.
  - erikmork 15y ago
    http://silverbaylabs.org/contact.html http://silverbaylabs.org/contact.html
- hollerith 15y ago
  feature request: I would like to be able to use the software with a pointing device or with the two mouse button rather than with the A and L keys.
emef 15y ago
"In the study performed by Susanne M. Jaeggi et. al., study subjects practiced the dual n-back test for about 20 minutes a day for up to 19 days. At the end of that time, the subjects were shown to have increased intelligences (as measured by gF)." An improvement in intelligence that becomes apparent after only 19 days smells too good to be true. Correct me if I'm wrong, but surely someone that practices IQ test problems will appear to be more intelligent the next time they are evaluated. It seems like something like that might be what they're seeing here, but I don't know enough about this training to say that.
- ajkessler 15y ago
  The effects are test-independent. That was sort of the point of the study. You will certainly get better at the dual-n-back game, but the gains apply elsewhere, not just to game itself. It has much to do (they think) with the interconnectedness of fluid intelligence and working memory. I wrote about this fairly in depth here: http://www.ajkesslerblog.com/how-to-get-smarter/ http://www.ajkesslerblog.com/how-to-get-smarter/
  - emef 15y ago
    Interesting, so the idea is that your short-term/working memory is indicative of your fluid intelligence? Then increasing your working memory increases your intelligence. Seems reasonable enough.
    - ajkessler 15y ago
      It would definitely make sense (the more you can hold in memory at one time, the faster you could learn stuff), but I don't think they've actually concluded that's how it works. They are clearly related though. Another hypothesis is that working memory and fluid intelligence both utilize the same neural paths/network, so an increase in one benefits the other. The study itself is linked in my article above if you're interested in reading it. It's pretty interesting stuff.
    - erikmork 15y ago
      Actually it appears that increasing working memory alone doesn't increase intelligence (from the paper). But doing the 2 tasks together does seem to do the trick.
  - reeder 15y ago
    That's the really contentious part of the claim. There's evidence that these games may make you better at performing certain tasks - but there's very little that video games make you generally smarter. Nicholas Carr has written a nice piece on this http://www.roughtype.com/archives/2011/04/grand_theft_att.php http://www.roughtype.com/archives/2011/04/grand_theft_att.ph...
adriano_f 15y ago
Another one here, which I like because it remembers your 'N' and lets you advance only when you're ready. http://www.brainboffin.com/ http://www.brainboffin.com/
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
bumbledraven 15y ago
Dual N-back is also available for free online at http://cognitivefun.net http://cognitivefun.net (under Tests -> Memory) along with other well-known psychological tasks, including visual/auditory reaction time test, Eriksen flanker test, Stroop test, various flavors of the digit span test, paced serial addition test, and more.
- bloch 15y ago
  Cognitivefun also has a multimodal n-back, where you can customize most aspects of the test (sounds, images, speed run, double or triple n-back, number of trials): http://cognitivefun.net/test/24 http://cognitivefun.net/test/24
notJim 15y ago
Wow, I did this, and went through the following stages: 1. What am I supposed to do? 2. Oh okay. Wow, this is really hard. 3. Focus focus focus tunnel vision mode 4. Now I am really good at this. 5. My brain is tired and I am no longer good at this at all.
tocomment 15y ago
In the paper didthe difficulty increase automatically? How did that work?
- gwern 15y ago
  It did increase automatically - the adaptiveness is a major part of the novelty - and it worked basically promoting you when you scored high (like >=80%) and likewise demoting you an N level. If you're curious, Brain Workshop has a Jaeggi mode where it uses the same scoring and promotion criteria.
tocomment 15y ago
Can anyone reccomend a good iPhone or android version?
- ArcticCelt 15y ago
  Android : Brain N-Back https://market.android.com/details?id=phuc.entertainment.dualnback&feature=search_result https://market.android.com/details?id=phuc.entertainment.dua... It's well done with good features and free (I am using it since couple of weeks). I think it's a port of this open source project: http://brainworkshop.sourceforge.net/ http://brainworkshop.sourceforge.net/
  - tocomment 15y ago
    Cool beans! Thanks for helping out.
Bdennyw 15y ago
IQ boost for the iPhone is free and soon to be open sourced. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iq-boost/id286574399?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iq-boost/id286574399?mt=8
gfodor 15y ago
I found it incredibly frustrating that for whatever reason the author decided to have A for location and L for audio. Perhaps this is a bug?
- oscardelben 15y ago
  It's the same as in other dual n back games
oakenshield 15y ago
Here is a pretty nice (and informative) article based on the research behind the Dual N-back game. http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=you-can-increase-your-intelligence-2011-03-07 http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=you-can-i...
- bloch 15y ago
  And a good faq: http://www.gwern.net/N-back%20FAQ http://www.gwern.net/N-back%20FAQ
palguay 15y ago
Wow , I am also working on a html version of this game. I have got a reasonable version and hope to release it soon
c00p3r 15y ago
That is funny - deluded by MS mediocres trying to delude other mediocres.. ^_^
ballard 15y ago
Even if the results are difficult to quantify, anything challenging has fun value.

47 points by Jasber 15y ago

If anyone is looking for an open source python version that doesn't require silverlight: http://brainworkshop.sourceforge.net/ http://brainworkshop.sourceforge.net/

erikmork 15y ago

Hi! I'm the author of soak your head. We worked with the researchers to follow the scientific paper as closely as possible. Feel free to use the app (the source is open and available on the site). In addition, we already have the application in the Windows Phone 7 marketplace, and it's on its way to the iOS app store.

toisanji 15y ago
what is your contact info, I would like to contact you.
- erikmork 15y ago
  http://silverbaylabs.org/contact.html http://silverbaylabs.org/contact.html
hollerith 15y ago
feature request: I would like to be able to use the software with a pointing device or with the two mouse button rather than with the A and L keys.

emef 15y ago

"In the study performed by Susanne M. Jaeggi et. al., study subjects practiced the dual n-back test for about 20 minutes a day for up to 19 days. At the end of that time, the subjects were shown to have increased intelligences (as measured by gF)." An improvement in intelligence that becomes apparent after only 19 days smells too good to be true. Correct me if I'm wrong, but surely someone that practices IQ test problems will appear to be more intelligent the next time they are evaluated. It seems like something like that might be what they're seeing here, but I don't know enough about this training to say that.

ajkessler 15y ago
The effects are test-independent. That was sort of the point of the study. You will certainly get better at the dual-n-back game, but the gains apply elsewhere, not just to game itself. It has much to do (they think) with the interconnectedness of fluid intelligence and working memory. I wrote about this fairly in depth here: http://www.ajkesslerblog.com/how-to-get-smarter/ http://www.ajkesslerblog.com/how-to-get-smarter/
- emef 15y ago
  Interesting, so the idea is that your short-term/working memory is indicative of your fluid intelligence? Then increasing your working memory increases your intelligence. Seems reasonable enough.
  - ajkessler 15y ago
    It would definitely make sense (the more you can hold in memory at one time, the faster you could learn stuff), but I don't think they've actually concluded that's how it works. They are clearly related though. Another hypothesis is that working memory and fluid intelligence both utilize the same neural paths/network, so an increase in one benefits the other. The study itself is linked in my article above if you're interested in reading it. It's pretty interesting stuff.
  - erikmork 15y ago
    Actually it appears that increasing working memory alone doesn't increase intelligence (from the paper). But doing the 2 tasks together does seem to do the trick.
- reeder 15y ago
  That's the really contentious part of the claim. There's evidence that these games may make you better at performing certain tasks - but there's very little that video games make you generally smarter. Nicholas Carr has written a nice piece on this http://www.roughtype.com/archives/2011/04/grand_theft_att.php http://www.roughtype.com/archives/2011/04/grand_theft_att.ph...

adriano_f 15y ago

Another one here, which I like because it remembers your 'N' and lets you advance only when you're ready. http://www.brainboffin.com/ http://www.brainboffin.com/

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

bumbledraven 15y ago

Dual N-back is also available for free online at http://cognitivefun.net http://cognitivefun.net (under Tests -> Memory) along with other well-known psychological tasks, including visual/auditory reaction time test, Eriksen flanker test, Stroop test, various flavors of the digit span test, paced serial addition test, and more.

bloch 15y ago
Cognitivefun also has a multimodal n-back, where you can customize most aspects of the test (sounds, images, speed run, double or triple n-back, number of trials): http://cognitivefun.net/test/24 http://cognitivefun.net/test/24

notJim 15y ago

Wow, I did this, and went through the following stages: 1. What am I supposed to do? 2. Oh okay. Wow, this is really hard. 3. Focus focus focus tunnel vision mode 4. Now I am really good at this. 5. My brain is tired and I am no longer good at this at all.

tocomment 15y ago

In the paper didthe difficulty increase automatically? How did that work?

gwern 15y ago
It did increase automatically - the adaptiveness is a major part of the novelty - and it worked basically promoting you when you scored high (like >=80%) and likewise demoting you an N level. If you're curious, Brain Workshop has a Jaeggi mode where it uses the same scoring and promotion criteria.

tocomment 15y ago

Can anyone reccomend a good iPhone or android version?

ArcticCelt 15y ago
Android : Brain N-Back https://market.android.com/details?id=phuc.entertainment.dualnback&feature=search_result https://market.android.com/details?id=phuc.entertainment.dua... It's well done with good features and free (I am using it since couple of weeks). I think it's a port of this open source project: http://brainworkshop.sourceforge.net/ http://brainworkshop.sourceforge.net/
- tocomment 15y ago
  Cool beans! Thanks for helping out.

Bdennyw 15y ago

IQ boost for the iPhone is free and soon to be open sourced. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iq-boost/id286574399?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iq-boost/id286574399?mt=8

gfodor 15y ago

I found it incredibly frustrating that for whatever reason the author decided to have A for location and L for audio. Perhaps this is a bug?

oscardelben 15y ago
It's the same as in other dual n back games

oakenshield 15y ago

Here is a pretty nice (and informative) article based on the research behind the Dual N-back game. http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=you-can-increase-your-intelligence-2011-03-07 http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=you-can-i...

bloch 15y ago
And a good faq: http://www.gwern.net/N-back%20FAQ http://www.gwern.net/N-back%20FAQ

palguay 15y ago

Wow , I am also working on a html version of this game. I have got a reasonable version and hope to release it soon

c00p3r 15y ago

That is funny - deluded by MS mediocres trying to delude other mediocres.. ^_^

ballard 15y ago

Even if the results are difficult to quantify, anything challenging has fun value.