Improving verbal fluency, practicing certain exercises that are found on IQ tests?
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arrested development
Jul 1, 2011, 4:59:04 AM7/1/11
to Dual N-Back, Brain Training & Intelligence
Hello, so here's yet another thread on verbal fluency. I'd like to
improve my verbal fluency. A lot of the times when I speak I awkwardly
phrase what I'm saying, or say it unclearly. Or I'll just flat out
stumble on my words and find myself fruitlessly grasping at the next
word. I have trouble recalling certain words sometimes. I'll often
resort to saying "Yeah, it's really... uhhh...what's it called?" It's
like thoughts are made of molasses sometimes.
This is what my understanding of verbal fluency is. It's your ability
to generate and use words as quickly as possible in the best way as
possible (The way you intend to use them). In the real world this
translates into having the ability to pinpoint the thoughts you are
thinking in real time, and expressing them as clearly and concisely as
possible in a way your listener or audience truly understands i.e.
being able to generate good analogies.
A few activities that might develop this ability are participating in
toastmasters, learning how to free style wrap, learning logic and
learning how to write clearly. I have some questions though. First
off, does anyone have any links to any intervention studies that
proves that a particular exercise or activity improves fluency?
Anyways, my main concern is this. I’ve been previewing a book called,
“Thinking on your feet: Tools to Communicate Clearly and
Convincingly.” The most interesting thing about this book are the
exercises at the end of the chapters. For example:
Exercise 1: As quickly as possible write down ten words that are
related in some way to each of the words presented. i.e. stress –
blood pressure, nerves, work-related, pressure, fear, change, unknown,
ulcer, time, deadline.
Exercise 2: You are given three words and you have to find the one
word that is related somehow to the other three. i.e. trunk, family,
house = tree.
These two exercises are lifted directly from an IQ test book. Where
can I find more samples of exercise 2? It seems like some sort of SAT
type question and there must be a practice book that drills that
SPECIFIC exercise hundreds if not thousands of times. You think
drilling these two exercises will help me?
Exercise 3- I’ve seen this one mentioned here before. Similar
variations of it at least. For the next 30 days you are to give a 5
minute impromptu speech about random topics i.e. Day 1-values Day 2-
chart Day 3-highlight etc. This exercise is easy to continue because
there are a lot of word, topic and theme generators online. And after
a month or two, you can start delving into more personal random
topics.
The sample of the book can be found here: http://www.axzopress.com/downloads/pdf/1560521171.pv.pdf
And lastly does expanding your vocabulary help? If so then this book
seems pretty good for doing that:
http://www.amazon.com/Verbal-Advantage-Steps-Powerful-Vocabulary/dp/0375709320/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I12Z1Y8PDXLXTY&colid=25FZ2CMONAKJX
Suggestions? Thoughts? Answers? Thanks :D
P.S. Totally getting the book. Seems packed with helpful and useful
tidbits.
improve my verbal fluency. A lot of the times when I speak I awkwardly
phrase what I'm saying, or say it unclearly. Or I'll just flat out
stumble on my words and find myself fruitlessly grasping at the next
word. I have trouble recalling certain words sometimes. I'll often
resort to saying "Yeah, it's really... uhhh...what's it called?" It's
like thoughts are made of molasses sometimes.
This is what my understanding of verbal fluency is. It's your ability
to generate and use words as quickly as possible in the best way as
possible (The way you intend to use them). In the real world this
translates into having the ability to pinpoint the thoughts you are
thinking in real time, and expressing them as clearly and concisely as
possible in a way your listener or audience truly understands i.e.
being able to generate good analogies.
A few activities that might develop this ability are participating in
toastmasters, learning how to free style wrap, learning logic and
learning how to write clearly. I have some questions though. First
off, does anyone have any links to any intervention studies that
proves that a particular exercise or activity improves fluency?
Anyways, my main concern is this. I’ve been previewing a book called,
“Thinking on your feet: Tools to Communicate Clearly and
Convincingly.” The most interesting thing about this book are the
exercises at the end of the chapters. For example:
Exercise 1: As quickly as possible write down ten words that are
related in some way to each of the words presented. i.e. stress –
blood pressure, nerves, work-related, pressure, fear, change, unknown,
ulcer, time, deadline.
Exercise 2: You are given three words and you have to find the one
word that is related somehow to the other three. i.e. trunk, family,
house = tree.
These two exercises are lifted directly from an IQ test book. Where
can I find more samples of exercise 2? It seems like some sort of SAT
type question and there must be a practice book that drills that
SPECIFIC exercise hundreds if not thousands of times. You think
drilling these two exercises will help me?
Exercise 3- I’ve seen this one mentioned here before. Similar
variations of it at least. For the next 30 days you are to give a 5
minute impromptu speech about random topics i.e. Day 1-values Day 2-
chart Day 3-highlight etc. This exercise is easy to continue because
there are a lot of word, topic and theme generators online. And after
a month or two, you can start delving into more personal random
topics.
The sample of the book can be found here: http://www.axzopress.com/downloads/pdf/1560521171.pv.pdf
And lastly does expanding your vocabulary help? If so then this book
seems pretty good for doing that:
http://www.amazon.com/Verbal-Advantage-Steps-Powerful-Vocabulary/dp/0375709320/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I12Z1Y8PDXLXTY&colid=25FZ2CMONAKJX
Suggestions? Thoughts? Answers? Thanks :D
P.S. Totally getting the book. Seems packed with helpful and useful
tidbits.
brain train
Jul 1, 2011, 5:18:20 AM7/1/11
to brain-t...@googlegroups.com
Check Posit Science's: Brain Fitness Program.. they claim to address the issue you are concerned with (not finding words).
braintrain
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arrested development
Jul 1, 2011, 6:03:36 AM7/1/11
to Dual N-Back, Brain Training & Intelligence
You are amazing! This seems to be exactly the type of brain training
program I've been looking for. Looks very verbal heavy and there's
even a study underway on their programs effects on tinnitus sufferers
(Helllo). Definitely seems to beat your generic brain training
programs out there like lumosity. THANKS.
On Jul 1, 1:18 am, brain train <brain.train...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Check Posit Science's: Brain Fitness Program.. they claim to address the
> issue you are concerned with (not finding words).
>
> braintrain
>
> On Fri, Jul 1, 2011 at 10:29 AM, arrested development <senzergk...@yahoo.com
> >http://www.amazon.com/Verbal-Advantage-Steps-Powerful-Vocabulary/dp/0...
program I've been looking for. Looks very verbal heavy and there's
even a study underway on their programs effects on tinnitus sufferers
(Helllo). Definitely seems to beat your generic brain training
programs out there like lumosity. THANKS.
On Jul 1, 1:18 am, brain train <brain.train...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Check Posit Science's: Brain Fitness Program.. they claim to address the
> issue you are concerned with (not finding words).
>
> braintrain
>
brain train
Jul 1, 2011, 8:26:57 AM7/1/11
to brain-t...@googlegroups.com
You are Welcome.
If you are so excited about it, you would probably like to read the book 'brain that changes itself'.
It talks about amazing power of human brain to heal itself and to improve itself. it talks about extra-ordinary cases of recovery.. very motivating to know. it will help understand some basic principles of brain functioning, learning, improving its performance. (not good if you are looking for some quick tips, however)
(Examples: person with half brain.. yes, only half! yet had some extra-ordinary capabilites. paralysed people who learned to move/use their limbs.. by intentionally keep trying despite no immediate positive feedback about improvements. if you put a blind-fold for 15 days, neurons of visual area free themselves from the responsibility of vision related task.. and are available for other brain tasks- result in extra-ordinary memory.. whereby person can memorize entire religious book word by word. the same re-organization of freed neurons lead to better listening abilities, touch sensation (allowing the blind people to learn braile)).
braintrain
Green
Jul 1, 2011, 4:34:39 PM7/1/11
to Dual N-Back, Brain Training & Intelligence
From what I know about the Posit Science program, I think the science
is shaky.
Many psychologists think that when you try to recall a word, you
create a spreading network of semantic associations - you look at a
photo of a cocker spaniel, and one part of your brain starts
generating associated words (mutt, dog, pooch...) The different
associated words compete with the proper candidate, "cocker spaniel,"
and this competition gives rise to the "tip of the tongue" experience.
There is some evidence that it may be possible to improve the
brain's ability to sort through these semantic associations by
directly strengthening a cognitive process called "interference
resolution." Here is the one study I know of: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18947353.
According to these researchers, training at a WM task that required
interference resolution improved response time on a naming task. I
don't know if anyone has ever done a follow-up.
BUT, Posit Science has a different model for improving verbal
fluency (at least they did when my friend used their product three
years ago). They seem to think that age-related loss of verbal
fluency has to do with a fading memory - that the "tip-of-the-tongue"
phenomena happens more as someone ages because their phonemic memories
have blurred and become indistinct. So, one major part of the Posit
Science training is having you listen to 'da' and 'ba' sounds and
decide when you're hearing 'da' vs. ba', and this is supposed to
resharpen your phonemic memories and thereby improve your response
time on naming tasks.
This model is not implausible, at least for older people. Maybe, over
time, phonemic memory gets blurred. I don't know whether there's
evidence to support this. But it doesn't seem like a good model for
helping younger-to-middle-aged people who have ordinary hearing but
struggle with naming tasks.
Just my two-cents, but I would consider your age as a relevant factor
in deciding whether Posit Science is likely to help you. Regardless of
age, I would spend some time in Toastmasters before spending hundreds
on Posit Science's software. (although... I think they have a six-
month return policy? Can't recall...)
is shaky.
Many psychologists think that when you try to recall a word, you
create a spreading network of semantic associations - you look at a
photo of a cocker spaniel, and one part of your brain starts
generating associated words (mutt, dog, pooch...) The different
associated words compete with the proper candidate, "cocker spaniel,"
and this competition gives rise to the "tip of the tongue" experience.
There is some evidence that it may be possible to improve the
brain's ability to sort through these semantic associations by
directly strengthening a cognitive process called "interference
resolution." Here is the one study I know of: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18947353.
According to these researchers, training at a WM task that required
interference resolution improved response time on a naming task. I
don't know if anyone has ever done a follow-up.
BUT, Posit Science has a different model for improving verbal
fluency (at least they did when my friend used their product three
years ago). They seem to think that age-related loss of verbal
fluency has to do with a fading memory - that the "tip-of-the-tongue"
phenomena happens more as someone ages because their phonemic memories
have blurred and become indistinct. So, one major part of the Posit
Science training is having you listen to 'da' and 'ba' sounds and
decide when you're hearing 'da' vs. ba', and this is supposed to
resharpen your phonemic memories and thereby improve your response
time on naming tasks.
This model is not implausible, at least for older people. Maybe, over
time, phonemic memory gets blurred. I don't know whether there's
evidence to support this. But it doesn't seem like a good model for
helping younger-to-middle-aged people who have ordinary hearing but
struggle with naming tasks.
Just my two-cents, but I would consider your age as a relevant factor
in deciding whether Posit Science is likely to help you. Regardless of
age, I would spend some time in Toastmasters before spending hundreds
on Posit Science's software. (although... I think they have a six-
month return policy? Can't recall...)
exigentsky
Jul 1, 2011, 6:56:57 PM7/1/11
to Dual N-Back, Brain Training & Intelligence
Is the blindfold idea really true after so little time? Also, does
that mean visual processing would be weakened or that everything would
go back to normal after a few weeks of no longer usig the blindfold?
This seems so extreme.
On Jul 1, 1:26 am, brain train <brain.train...@gmail.com> wrote:
> You are Welcome.
> If you are so excited about it, you would probably like to read the book
> 'brain that changes itself'.
> It talks about amazing power of human brain to heal itself and to improve
> itself. it talks about extra-ordinary cases of recovery.. very motivating to
> know. it will help understand some basic principles of brain functioning,
> learning, improving its performance. (not good if you are looking for some
> quick tips, however)
>
> (Examples: person with half brain.. yes, only half! yet had some
> extra-ordinary capabilites. paralysed people who learned to move/use their
> limbs.. by intentionally keep trying despite no immediate positive feedback
> about improvements. if you put a blind-fold for 15 days, neurons of visual
> area free themselves from the responsibility of vision related task.. and
> are available for other brain tasks- result in extra-ordinary memory..
> whereby person can memorize entire religious book word by word. the same
> re-organization of freed neurons lead to better listening abilities, touch
> sensation (allowing the blind people to learn braile)).
>
> braintrain
>
> On Fri, Jul 1, 2011 at 11:33 AM, arrested development <senzergk...@yahoo.com
that mean visual processing would be weakened or that everything would
go back to normal after a few weeks of no longer usig the blindfold?
This seems so extreme.
On Jul 1, 1:26 am, brain train <brain.train...@gmail.com> wrote:
> You are Welcome.
> If you are so excited about it, you would probably like to read the book
> 'brain that changes itself'.
> It talks about amazing power of human brain to heal itself and to improve
> itself. it talks about extra-ordinary cases of recovery.. very motivating to
> know. it will help understand some basic principles of brain functioning,
> learning, improving its performance. (not good if you are looking for some
> quick tips, however)
>
> (Examples: person with half brain.. yes, only half! yet had some
> extra-ordinary capabilites. paralysed people who learned to move/use their
> limbs.. by intentionally keep trying despite no immediate positive feedback
> about improvements. if you put a blind-fold for 15 days, neurons of visual
> area free themselves from the responsibility of vision related task.. and
> are available for other brain tasks- result in extra-ordinary memory..
> whereby person can memorize entire religious book word by word. the same
> re-organization of freed neurons lead to better listening abilities, touch
> sensation (allowing the blind people to learn braile)).
>
> braintrain
>
audeo
Jul 1, 2011, 7:38:28 PM7/1/11
to Dual N-Back, Brain Training & Intelligence
Hello. I am new to this group.
I ask someone to either recommend to me programs (that run on Linux)
and/or websites, or a book (probably by a neuroscientist), or to help
me think. I am interested in improving text recall and prossing and
speed-reading. I want to be given a brief period of time to read a few
paragraphs then to have to answer questions about it. And if one is
just trying to scan for facts, the period should be shorter than
having to process it. I am also interested in training ability
remember text verbatim or almost verbatim over months. The latter
could be done without a computer, but if someone makes a program for
it I would still like to do it that way.
This is unimportant, but I would also like to get anyone's opinion
about what available brain-training program, for Linux or Windows, is
the most like Luminosity.com?
I ask someone to either recommend to me programs (that run on Linux)
and/or websites, or a book (probably by a neuroscientist), or to help
me think. I am interested in improving text recall and prossing and
speed-reading. I want to be given a brief period of time to read a few
paragraphs then to have to answer questions about it. And if one is
just trying to scan for facts, the period should be shorter than
having to process it. I am also interested in training ability
remember text verbatim or almost verbatim over months. The latter
could be done without a computer, but if someone makes a program for
it I would still like to do it that way.
This is unimportant, but I would also like to get anyone's opinion
about what available brain-training program, for Linux or Windows, is
the most like Luminosity.com?
brain train
Jul 2, 2011, 3:37:18 AM7/2/11
to brain-t...@googlegroups.com
"Is the blindfold idea really true after so little time? "
yes- this is what is mentioned in the book. after as small a period as 15 days, brain starts to reorganize these idle neurons. Neurons are precious resources, neighboring functional areas are always competing for them. As soon as, they find idle resources they include that in their group--> so, idle neurons become part of the neighboring functional unit.
also, the brain (functional) part more heavily loaded expands and less used shrinks.
"Also, does
that mean visual processing would be weakened or that everything would
go back to normal after a few weeks of no longer usig the blindfold?
This seems so extreme."
that mean visual processing would be weakened or that everything would
go back to normal after a few weeks of no longer usig the blindfold?
This seems so extreme."
things go normal.. neurons pick their original task quickly.. but special ability also vanishes with that!
(i didn't see any thing mentioned otherwise in the book)
the point, however, is that brain is highly flexible.. neurons/functional areas can be reprogrammed to do new tasks, on the basis of need (like in this example, vision related neurons started playing the role of holding memory)
Just for your information.. visual area is very large fraction of cortex- 30%. so, freeing up this section means huge-huge amount of new resources for neighbors- hence the extra-ordinary increase in long term memory capacity.
braintrain
The.Fourth.Deviation.
Jul 2, 2011, 3:59:04 AM7/2/11
to Dual N-Back, Brain Training & Intelligence
arrested development
many ideas can be expressed without a large vocabulary. I believe that
verbal fluency is more related to fluid intelligence than verbal IQ.
My VIQ was always extremely high and I have a large vocabulary.
However I would still stumble on words or be at a loss for words in
particular situations.
How long have you trained DNB? It increases verbal fluency. In my case
it was a very rapid improvement. Improving processing speed is also
effective. Try caffeine and you will notice that your verbal fluency
will shoot up. My fluency has improved and I am extremely articulate
now.
If you think about it, sports announcers are very articulate, yet they
use a very limited vocabulary. Studying words, in my opinion, will not
increase your fluency, especially since we generally only use a small
portion of our vocabulary in normal conversation. The issue is being
more effective at organizing those words. Im interested to see if your
verbal fluency improves dramatically after your 21 days of intense
DNB.
On Jun 30, 11:59 pm, arrested development <senzergk...@yahoo.com>
wrote:
> seems pretty good for doing that:http://www.amazon.com/Verbal-Advantage-Steps-Powerful-Vocabulary/dp/0...
many ideas can be expressed without a large vocabulary. I believe that
verbal fluency is more related to fluid intelligence than verbal IQ.
My VIQ was always extremely high and I have a large vocabulary.
However I would still stumble on words or be at a loss for words in
particular situations.
How long have you trained DNB? It increases verbal fluency. In my case
it was a very rapid improvement. Improving processing speed is also
effective. Try caffeine and you will notice that your verbal fluency
will shoot up. My fluency has improved and I am extremely articulate
now.
If you think about it, sports announcers are very articulate, yet they
use a very limited vocabulary. Studying words, in my opinion, will not
increase your fluency, especially since we generally only use a small
portion of our vocabulary in normal conversation. The issue is being
more effective at organizing those words. Im interested to see if your
verbal fluency improves dramatically after your 21 days of intense
DNB.
On Jun 30, 11:59 pm, arrested development <senzergk...@yahoo.com>
wrote:
Palguay
Feb 7, 2013, 4:15:28 AM2/7/13
to brain-t...@googlegroups.com
I run a website http://brainturk.com which has a few tasks. I am currently revamping the whole website and adding levels for existing games and working on some new features which will be updated regularly. check it out and let me know if you want something added.
Palguay
Feb 7, 2013, 4:17:49 AM2/7/13
to brain-t...@googlegroups.com
I have most of the games developed at http://brainturk.com and plan on adding something that is not available on the other sites. stay tuned for updates
☉
Feb 13, 2013, 7:46:50 PM2/13/13
to Dual N-Back, Brain Training & Intelligence
Stuttering is likely a result of improper brain lateralization for
different aspects of language processing. Consider the following:
http://www.stutteringhelp.org/atypical-cerebral-laterality-neural-risk-stuttering
however, not all persons with bilateral language representation have
this problem; I recently got the app iDichotic (it was mentioned in
sciencedaily the other day) and discovered both of my hemispheres are
involved in processing language. I am not sure how reliable a test it
is, but I have never had a stutter, and there are plenty of healthy
persons who also have a bilateral language representation.
In other words, it is possible your stutter is the result of a
particular insult to the brain (or a genetic deviation) that caused
abnormal development. I hope you can find treatment for it; I recall
that there was some fellow who wore a headset so that he could hear
his voice with a slight delay - and this effectively allowed him to
communicate without any stutter.
Apologies if this isn't very informative - I haven't done a lot of
research on it.
argumzio
On Feb 13, 10:48 am, Raeychelle <raeyche...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thank you for posting this information. I have been researching ways to
> increase verbal fluency and I really appreciate your taking the time to
> pass this on. I was just tested by a neuropsychologist and my intellectual
> abilities ranked 95-99 percentile but my verbal fluency was only 37. I
> stuttered at a young age and have always had very high anxiety about
> speaking out loud. I really am hopeful that I can improve in this area.
> Thank you again.
> >http://www.amazon.com/Verbal-Advantage-Steps-Powerful-Vocabulary/dp/0...
different aspects of language processing. Consider the following:
http://www.stutteringhelp.org/atypical-cerebral-laterality-neural-risk-stuttering
however, not all persons with bilateral language representation have
this problem; I recently got the app iDichotic (it was mentioned in
sciencedaily the other day) and discovered both of my hemispheres are
involved in processing language. I am not sure how reliable a test it
is, but I have never had a stutter, and there are plenty of healthy
persons who also have a bilateral language representation.
In other words, it is possible your stutter is the result of a
particular insult to the brain (or a genetic deviation) that caused
abnormal development. I hope you can find treatment for it; I recall
that there was some fellow who wore a headset so that he could hear
his voice with a slight delay - and this effectively allowed him to
communicate without any stutter.
Apologies if this isn't very informative - I haven't done a lot of
research on it.
argumzio
On Feb 13, 10:48 am, Raeychelle <raeyche...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thank you for posting this information. I have been researching ways to
> increase verbal fluency and I really appreciate your taking the time to
> pass this on. I was just tested by a neuropsychologist and my intellectual
> abilities ranked 95-99 percentile but my verbal fluency was only 37. I
> stuttered at a young age and have always had very high anxiety about
> speaking out loud. I really am hopeful that I can improve in this area.
> Thank you again.
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