Why does Lumosity work?

 

Why does Lumosity work?  I wondered that myself.  It's just a bunch of kids games.

Lu-mos-i-fy [v] to sharpen your memory, focus your attention, and brighten your future

Lost in Migration is a game that I have a BPI of 1600+ out of a maximum of 1700.  Anything over a BPI of 1500 is in the top 99%.

"Lost in Migration.  Get distracted too easily?  Then this is the game for you!  Focus on the center bird without letting the other birds distract you. 


Exercising: Focus  Improving: Avoiding distraction, Increasing work productivity, Concentration, Read More"

 

Lost in Migration exercises your Focus.

Lumosity.com has the following definition:

Focus

Focus entails being able to pay attention to pertinent information while ignoring irrelevant distractions. This skill comes into play while doing something like reading or studying in a busy café. The ability to stay focused also plays a pivotal role in other cognitive functions such as memory and reasoning.

Used for:

• Avoiding distraction
• Increasing work productivity
• Concentration

 A more abstract use is spotting lies and inconsistencies in stories.

Focus sounds great, but according to who? 

There are two references at the bottom of the page.  The first reference:

Bherer, L., Kramer, A. F., Peterson, M. S., Colcombe, S., Erickson, K., & Becic, E. (2006). Testing the limits of cognitive plasticity in older adults: application to attentional control. Acta Psychologica, 123(3), 261-78.

Click here for a Link to the article.

The title:

"Testing the limits of cognitive plasticity in older adults: application to attentional control.

Abstract

Laboratory based training studies suggest that older adults can benefit from training in tasks that tap control aspects of attention. This was further explored in the present study in which older and younger adults completed an adaptive and individualized dual-task training program. The testing-the-limits approach was used [Lindenberger, U., & Baltes, P. B. (1995). Testing-the-limits and experimental simulation: Two methods to explicate the role of learning in development. Human Development, 38, 349-360.] in order to gain insight into how attentional control can be improved in older adults. Results indicated substantial improvement in overlapping task performance in both younger and older participants suggesting the availability of cognitive plasticity in both age groups. Improvement was equivalent among age groups in response speed and performance variability but larger in response accuracy for older adults. The results suggest that time-sharing skills can be substantially improved in older adults."

 The last sentence says, "The results suggest that time-sharing skills can be substantially improved in older adults."  Although younger and older adults appear to benefit equally in "response speed."

Lumosity has a free one month trial and if you decide not to continue, you can still play a half dozen games for free.  If you don't want to pay after the first month, you need to remember to cancel yourself.  Similar to being in college.

Have a good day! ~ Kus