Struggling with color/shape WM - suggestions for training strategy?

[Devin Bost]

Hi Everyone, 

I can hit 7-back for dual position/auditory, but when I switch to color/symbol, after several days of multiple hours a day of training (including setting the interval to 1.4 seconds), I can hit around 90% now at n=2 with the 1.4-sec interval, but I'm struggling to get even 30% on n=3 (regardless of the interval duration.) I realized that I've always had poor visual-spatial memory compared to numerical/auditory, but I'm feeling pretty discouraged. 

My questions:

1. My tendency is to compensate for my lack of color memory by mentally labeling the color with a word, so I'm trying to not do that. How else do you remember color though? Do you try to mentally visualize it on the screen? Do you put it somewhere else? In some ways, the 3-back with color/symbol/position was easier since I at least had a place to put the color and symbol. But, when they all overlap, I just lose track. Suggestions?

2. When I decreased the interval, I noticed significantly more mental exhaustion, which makes me think that it's giving me more results. It definitely seems to improve my attention, and it helps me mentally erase the old colors, but it doesn't seem like that translates to cycling through the colors at 3-back. I'm used to cycling through the sequence in my mind at a higher n-back (for auditory), but it almost seems like I'd need a 5-second interval for color/symbol to keep track of them since it's so hard. Would it be worth trying to max the duration? Or, should I just keep pressing forward with a shorter duration to try to get more training done? 

 the color 

[dominic lambert]

I'm no expert, but I think these things should help:

Use the image attached to this message to test yourself for aphantasia, or difficulty with visualization. Look at the red star, close your eyes, and try to visualize the same red star in your mind's eye. If you get level 5 or 6, great. If not, train your ability to visualize until you are at a 5 or 6, ideally a 6. I'm not sure, but I'd expect that a few hours of focused effort applied to the following activities will get you there:

1 - Train with a longer duration between stimuli (4-5 seconds) and use that time to practice holding the shape and color in your mind in full detail. Think of the inflated interval like training wheels. Then decrease the intervals / take the training wheels off when you can comfortably hold the 3 images and shapes for the full 5 seconds, or whatever interval you choose.

2 - Take ~15 minutes a day to look at something in your environment, close your eyes, and visualize that thing in full color and detail for as long as possible, using quick glances to correct yourself. The better you get, the more objects you can attempt to visualize. I'd expect that if you can visualize 3+ objects in full color and detail, you'll have no problem with the visualization required for n-back training. 

Some n-back specific strategies:

1 - Visualize a static/unmoving row or column with cells, like a 1xn row or nx1 column in Microsoft excel, that each hold one image and color. The length of the row / column is equal to the n-back level. Each new input (color and shape) replaces the old input for the corresponding cell, so your minds eye is filled with a constantly changing set of n images and shapes for the duration of the "set."

2 - Assuming you are using the brainworkshop software, try changing your images to pentominoes. I believe they have the greatest average surface area of any of the 5 shape types. More surface area means more color per stimulus, which means the color should be easier to remember

Beyond what I typed above, I say just keep at it. The brain will adapt given enough stimulus and rest.

[Devin Bost]

Oh my gosh...

I imagine I feel right now a little like someone who discovered they're colorblind at the age of 30. I scored a hard 0 on that test. 

It's interesting... When I try to visualize an object, I can't actually visualize it, but I can remember some specific traits about it. It's all an approximation, like a simplified representation of the object. It's hard to describe... 

Can you actually visualize the object in your mind as if it was really there? 

[BM XT]

I'm close to you in this regard. I did 8-back on dual mode, but quad gives me hard times. My guess is I just don't have brain circuits needed for holding shape and color. So I just need to keep grinding untill it gets easier. I push really hard everyday so sometimes I now get 75 on quad 3-back, but it took me freaking 2! months. It can be discouraging but the good thing is when this weak spot will be compensated I will probably transcend in every major cognitive domain.

This inability to hold colors made me start "dark room military method" for memory, which is basically holding a afterimage in your mind for as long as you can after swift flash of light. I try to read from that afterimage and it kinda stays a tad longer in my mind after each sesson. I also try out my version of mental multiplication which helps with my visuo-spatial weak spot. I visualise intermediate results as you do on paper and rotate the whole thing in every direction looking from lower right corner and adding the numbers from the last one to first one, always looking upwards while I'm adding. Rotation and cross links between all numbers help retain the numbers and visualise better each time. I substituted dual with this routine and it gives my WM a good workout, since holding onto numbers is my another weak spot. And when I do this every digit becomes separate unit, i.e. 350 is not just 350 but also 3 5 0 and has links to every number above or/and under it. The interesting thing also is to always look from right to left, in this case reimagining numbers has to be in reverse order, which also gives some workout to imagination.

среда, 13 июля 2022 г. в 17:32:37 UTC+5, devin...@gmail.com:

[dominic lambert]

Yes, I can actually visualize objects in my head. I can play gifs / videos in my mind, rotate 3D objects, and visualize images in somewhat coarse detail. This ability made Physics, Biology, Geometry, and any other subject involving visualization much easier in school. You'll learn a lot more by visiting the subreddit I got the test from: https://www.reddit.com/r/Aphantasia/ .

Since you say you scored a 0, I think getting to a 5 or 6 is not a realistic goal, at least not for a relatively long time. So you should focus on getting to a 1, then 2, etc.

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