Is DNB still the only worthwhile brain training to do?

[Heinstar]

When I first found out about brain training especially DNB, I became excited about it possibly improving my terrible cognitive function. But after reading several threads here, I’m getting the vibe that most brain training games are useless with no far transfer. And almost all brain training studies are about Working Memory Training which makes me think that Working memory is the only cognitive domain that can be improved and transfers to general intelligence.  

I used to play Lumosity in the past, but their games have never been proven to have far transfer effects. Most people on reddit are skeptical about Lumosity as well saying that you only get good at the game. My favourite Lumosity game is Train of Thought and it appears to be a well designed game that becomes challenging. But I don’t know if it really improves divided attention and whether improving divided attention is useful in real life situations. I've lost hope for Lumosity and I've recently stopped renewing the subscription.

I’ve also tried BrainHQ but their games were all boring with bad user interface. I don't think their games have been proven to have far transfer effects either. 

I've wondered if video games like Sc2 and Quake can improve cognitive function such as multitasking or processing speed. But I’m beginning to think that it probably doesn't and is just a waste of time just like any other video games. And even if Action video games can improve certain cognitive functions, I'm guessing that it only improves a part of cognition that's not very useful in real life situations. 

I've also wondered if solving difficult Logic based Puzzles can increase problem solving ability. But past studies debunked it deeming useless: http://www.bbc.co.uk/labuk/results/braintestbritain/ So that makes me believe that other puzzle games like chess or gomoku won't increase your problem solving ability either. On the flip side, there was a study which showed that students who studied for LSAT over the course of 3 months developed improved reasoning skills. 

There's also Clinical Neurofeedback which is supposed to help with concentration and regulation. I often read users on reddit and bulletproof forum swear by that they work and is more effective than Mindfulness meditation. But Clinical Neurofeedback Sessoins are currently very expensive and only for the rich people.

tDCS also seems promising since there's a lot of studies on it recently. But I'm not going to use tDCS anytime soon since I'm not convinced that it is safe yet.

Nootropics are very popular as well and recommended by many people online but I’m not interested in drugs anymore and I personally think that there needs to be a regulation on the internet with misinformation about the safeness of Nootropics. Now that I'm older, I'm more interested in reaching my cognitive potential through safe means rather than experimenting with not fully understood supplements and possibly suffering the consequences later in life. 

So from what I gather so far, currently DNB is the only promising form of brain training to improve cognitive function(assuming it transfers or increase WMC). I know that recent studies on DNB is not good but I still haven't given up on it yet. I’ve been stuck at ~70% D4B for a long time now but I'm still slowly improving. I don't know if it's related to DNB, but my IQ went from 108 to 110 on iqtest.dk. 

What do you think? Besides DNB, is there anything else that's worth doing to improve cognitive function? 

[jotaro]

worthless... :) ,dnb is good as useless too, nootropics are useless as well.

sleep, food ,excercise is good for avoiding deficit?

 update me /us on neurofeedback.. i dont have money for that

. if i did i would play with this too.

here is a though(?) maybe our friend heinstar here actually doesnt have any deficit to begin with and it is just some stupid theory he wants to believe.

On Mon, Jul 14, 2014 at 9:04 PM, Heinstar <yuki.d...@gmail.com> wrote:

I used to be excited about various Brain training games possibly improving cognitive functions but after reading several threads here, I’m beginning to get the vibe that most brain training games are completely useless with little to no far transfer. I only see studies about Working Memory Training(WMT) which makes me think that WMT is probably the only promising form of brain training.

I used to play Lumosity, but I never see studies proving far transfer for their games. My favourite Lumosity game is Train of thought and I think it’s a very well designed game, but I don’t know if it improves divided attention as it’s claiming. I stopped renewing my Lumosity subscription because I don’t have much hope for their games anymore.

I’ve also tried BrainHQ but their games were all boring and uninteresting and I don’t see any studies proving their far transfer effects either. 

I used to think that twitch based video games like Starcraft 2(RTS) and Quake(Arena Shooter) improves brain function but I’m beginning to feel that it probably doesn’t and just a waste of time. And even if they improve certain cognitive functions, it probably improves a useless part of cognition just like juggling increases grey matter but doesn’t help with anything.

I've also wondered how useful solving difficult Logic Puzzles would be but they are probably useless as well and a waste of time similarly to playing chess/gomoku.

So my only other hope is Clinical Neurofeedback which could help me reach my cognitive potential and fix the cognitive deficits that I have but I can’t afford the sessions.

Tdcs seems promising but they are more invasive than Neurofeedback so I’m not so keen on it.

Nootropics are popular but I’m not keen on mind altering drugs. Personally, I would rather be smart all the time rather than be only smart while on the drugs. I’m even trying to quit coffee but it’s extremely hard to do because I’ve been dependent on it for a long time. 

So am I correct in thinking that DNB is probably the only worthwhile brain training to do? I know that recent studies on DNB is grim suggesting that it is useless but it’s still the most promising form of brain training. I’ve been stuck at ~70% D4B for a long time now and I can do T3B.

What do you think? Besides a Healthy diet, Aerobic Exercise, adequate sleep and possibly DNB, is there anything else that's worth doing to improve brain function? 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Dual N-Back, Brain Training & Intelligence" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to brain-trainin...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to brain-t...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/brain-training.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Alex Strick van Linschoten]

Did you get any answer to this? I'm at a similar place.

[Steve Michaels]

Starcraft and Quake and video games in general do reduce reaction time to my knowledge (no citation).

On Monday, July 14, 2014 9:04:38 PM UTC+3, Heinstar wrote:

When I first found out about brain training games especially DNB, I became excited about it possibly improving intelligence. But after reading several threads here, I’m getting the vibe that most brain training games are useless with no far transfer. And almost all brain training studies are about Working Memory Training which makes me think that Working memory is the only cognitive domain that can be improved and transfers to general intelligence.  

I used to play Lumosity in the past, but their games have never been proven to have far-transfer. Most people on reddit are skeptical about Lumosity saying that you only get good at their game. My favourite Lumosity game is Train of Thought and it appears to be a well designed game that gets challenging. But I don’t know if it really improves divided attention and whether improving divided attention is useful in real life. I've lost hope for Lumosity and I've recently stopped renewing the subscription.

I’ve also tried BrainHQ but their games were all boring with bad user interface. I don't think their games have been proven to have far transfer effects either. 

I've wondered if twitch video games like Sc2 and Quake can improve cognitive function such as processing speed. But I’m beginning to think that it probably doesn't and is just a waste of time just like any other video games. And even if Action video games improved certain cognitive functions, I'm guessing that it only improves a useless part of cognition just like juggling supposedly increases grey matter but doesn’t really transfer to anything. 

I've also wondered if solving hard Logic Puzzles can increase problem solving ability. But past studies debunked it deeming useless: http://www.bbc.co.uk/labuk/results/braintestbritain/ So that makes me believe that other puzzle games like chess/gomoku have no transfer as well. On the flip side, there was a study which showed that students who prepared for Lsat over 3 months had improved reasoning skills. But that's just one study.

There's also Clinical Neurofeedback which is supposed to help with concentration and regulation. I often read users on reddit and bulletproof forum swear by that they work. But Clinical Neurofeedback Sessoins are currently very expensive.

tDCS also seems promising since there's a lot of studies about it recently. But I'm not really interested in tDCS since they are too invasive for my taste.

Nootropics are very popular as well but I’m not interested in drugs anymore and I personally think that there needs to be a regulation on the internet with misinformation about Nootropics. Now that I'm older, I'm more interested in reaching my cognitive potential rather than overdriving my brain with drugs and possibly suffering the consequences later in life. 

So from what I gather so far, currently DNB is the only promising cognitive training(assuming it really transfers). I know that recent studies on DNB is not good but I still haven't given up on it yet. I’ve been stuck at ~70% Dual 4-back for a long time now but I'm still slowly improving, I can also do Triple 3-back. I don't know if it's related to DNB, but my IQ jumped from 108 to 110 on iqtest.dk. 

What do you think? Besides Dual N-back, is there anything else that's worth doing to improve cognitive function? 

[Działo, Christopher]

​Short and qualified answer: Yes, and don't waste time thinking about if it's not. Train now.​

Best,

Chris Dzialo, Google Professional

Digital Search Analyst

Direct: 1-248-904-7477

This e-mail communication (including any attachments) may contain confidential information intended solely for the use of the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient, you should immediately stop reading this message and delete it from your system. Any unauthorized reading, distribution, copying or other use of this communication (or its attachments) is strictly prohibited.

--

[Steinbi]

My two cents on this subject:

It really depends on what you classify as brain training. DNB training is very useful in the way that it increases your working memory which gives you the benefit of manipulating more information in your brain when performing complex and taxing tasks. Similarly, I reckon you can do progressively harder workouts to improve your kinesthetic ability by performing increasingly complicated movements or increase your social ability by simply talking and interacting with people which gives you referential experience to think back on when you meet someone new. But it all depends on the development of your brain structure. A man can read all the books he can, all his life, without strengthening his analyzing ability or short term memory and end up with a shitload of knowledge and perhaps be able to throw some bullshit out to people which sounds really impressive to the those who are in the unknown. A slightly more 'capable' (I dislike using the word 'smarter') man could be able to analyze, compile and publish a new groundbreaking work with a combination of some knowledge acquired from extensive reading, because he had a better pattern analyzing ability and short term memory. 

Of course, there could be a possibility that people have a natural biological threshold to intelligence determined by genes, in the way of limited cell growth or amount of neurons producible, but it's only my speculation since I'm not that versed in neuroscience. What I mean is that you will never know if you don't push yourself by doing things (like lifting weights) and actually using the increased working memory. You can't really expect to get overall smarter by simply playing a game of counting numbers or staying cozy at that 3-back level. Are the puzzles too simple? Do some more advanced ones. Have you tried solving verbal riddles? Do those until you're head is on fire. Can you ace most logic tests? Study Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. Push yourself to the limit. I know I've had my share of brain-pain. (is there an scientific word for that slightly cold and painful-but-not-really-headache you get after thinking hard?)

My experience has been that I was getting tired of always being at D4B but recently somehow managed to push into D6B after consistent but not that regular training. Haven't noticed that much of a difference in my cognitive abilites but my concentration is very good and I can easily read until I have to stop myself or when I am very tired. I definitely have a verbal-wm deficiency since I can do position-8-back but only sound-5-back. There was a noticeable improvement in conversations after I increased from sound-2-back up to sound-5-back, but I haven't been able do get fast S5B (and haven't been really trying). However I definitely recommend training with some of the advanced settings, like the Quad-Combination Variable n-back, since I think that has definitely helped my with my reading comprehension and general observation abilities. What I find normal now at CV3B (sometimes CV4B) sounds insane when I think about it. I don't know how much higher you can get with that since you're manipulating incredible amount of information.

In conclusion, everything I do now is more efficient than before and I've been pushing myself to do more things, oftentimes resulting in success which by a positive feedback loop motivates me to do more things successfully, resulting in a positive adaptation in the brain. For example, two years ago I didn't know jack shit in linux, I started reading about linux and trying out basic distributions. Now, many headaches later, I have a customized arch-linux distro, writing my own scripts and performing network hacks for the heck of it. Great intellectual hobby for the willing. 

TL;DR : Train the brain, learn stuff and have lofty goals. 

[Tom Ewald]

I learned of DNB when someone mentioned it as a way to improve the ability to calculate in chess. That would seem to be substantiated by what you say below, which pretty much sounds like chess calculation.

On Friday, August 8, 2014 6:03:02 PM UTC-4, Steinbi wrote:

...

It really depends on what you classify as brain training. DNB training is very useful in the way that it increases your working memory which gives you the benefit of manipulating more information in your brain when performing complex and taxing tasks....

[jotaro]

chess calculation is just application of this.

what i am more bothered is by the fact is you develop efficiency to the context

of dnb not necessary to everything else.

[Johnson Adeleke]

SO we can we legitimately conclude that Dnb does effectively increase working memory capacity? I think I have a real serious problem here and some background information would do. I am doing the IB diploma currently and I am 17 years of age and have noticed that despite my effortless high achievements in the past I would often make mistakes in important exams probably due to not reading the correct thing or while operating transforming or forgetting an operation. for example in a maths Olympiad exam I was asked to count the number of missing blocks from the shape until it becomes a CUBE and I mistakenly calculated it for a completely different solid. Does anyone think Dnb would be worthwhile in neutralizing this problem?

[Pontus Granström]

Yes

[Heinstar]

Thanks for the constructive feedbacks.

Right now, I’m only doing Working Memory training because I don’t know if other types of brain training games allows far-transfer or is useful in real life situations. I came across this interesting article about why lumosity probably doesn’t work: http://www.iqmindware.com/does-lumosity-work

I’m currently doing QNB because I haven’t progressed beyond D4B since December and I don’t think it would hurt to add more stimulus to memorise, I'm already up to Q2B. Once I reach Q4B, I might move on to CVNB as well since several users on this forum had good outcomes from it. I’m also going to try other WM games on the side like Brain age Devilish Training, Cognitivefun.net PASAT etc.

If you have any recommendations on what other types of brain training is worth doing, I’d love to know. Thanks.  

[Steinbi]

No problem, my problem is that I just tend to start writing a short answer which somehow winds up being an essay. Thankfully I rarely post on forums.

Unfortunately I don't take brain training as seriously as the length of my previous post indicates since I've rarely been doing any serious training for a long time. But what worked for me was to strategically improve certain mental areas. My suggestion is to locate a deficit in your intellect and increasingly try to improve on it , for example: I discovered when I was in uni that I had trouble keeping up with lectures and technical conversations. Having been on this forum for a while and having read some of the research, notably by some Japanese researchers (if I remember correctly), on improvement in single-verbal working memory tasks, I gathered that it would probably lead me to improve on my mental deficit, due to the nature of neuroplasticity and such. This led me to start with Sound-N-Back training which improved my hearing perception, that is, my verbal short term memory work-space. I went from having trouble with remembering few words n-back (get it heh) and having a hard time concentrating on what conversations were about, to juggling listening to two-three conversations or referencing relatively long passed (conversation time-wise) discussions topics previously discussed. My training happened over a short time (few months) but exclusively and intensively focused on the verbal factor of the working memory (letters or sounds, sometimes two-sounds-n-back). It definitely improved something for me but I don't really have any way to prove it unless for these anecdotes. However I cannot say for sure if sound-n-back improved my reading. Perhaps verbal-n-back could prove better, someone (Green?) on this forum made a post about it.

That said, I strongly think that with focused training, there is a possibility of intelligence-gain in some factors. People with problems in visual memory should try to do position, color or image (or combination) and see if it helps. Similarly do, like you are doing, quad-n-back to strenghten the brains regions involving multiple brain parts which should make you more efficient in handling information. Arithmetic-n-back could theoretically improve your language, spatial and general processing with enough training since, according to my research, it is handled by the Angular Cyrus. I believe variable-combination is responsible for increasing information processing since it makes you juggle multiple stimuli for variable n-backs, in multiple ways if you have position, sound and color ticked. Some people have said crab-n-back works in a similar way, requiring you to make quick processing to indicate memory placement. Color-n-back should of course improve the neural connectivity of the brain areas responsible for color, I rarely bother with it but I noticed it gave me some nice 1080p HD dreams after intensive sessions haha. Of course there are more senses to tackle but unfortunately we have no way of implementing touch, taste or smell in the n-back format. 

On the debate on breath vs. depth I can only speculate so please don't take this as truth, critical thoughts from experienced users are very much accepted. But in my experience more depth leads to increased mental stamina in the way of giving you a larger sketchbook to note your perceptions, imagine if you will that you have with more training an growing notebook with your doodles of perceived objects and flickering thoughts. You could then imagine that breath possibly works in utilizing better this workspace of your notebook, making your notes more clear, more structured and with better references to your previous notes, colored underlines, improved drawings, etc. In a similar thought example, crystallized knowledge could be likened to the dictionary at hand or the image you reference in your drawings.

For other modes of training outside of the working memory toolbox, I fully believe that complex working memory training is beneficial, like at http://cwmtask.comoj.com/. I have used it for some time but I had a really hard time progressing in some of it tasks like color and pattern. I did it in conjunction with my speed reading training and sometimes when I want to improve my reading abilities, but I never last for a long time so I have a hard time evaluating it's long-term effect, but I definitely think it has increased my reading comprehension in a large way. I wouldn't bother with the quick-reflex exercises at cognitivefun unless you're severely deficient in those areas. I also don't think PASAT is necessary since it works in a very similar way to WM-training. 

I hope you have the concentration to read all this through hehe. 

Best of luck and train hard.

On Tuesday, August 12, 2014 11:40:54 AM UTC, Heinstar wrote:

Thanks for the constructive feedbacks.

Right now, I’m only doing Working Memory training because I don’t know if other types of brain training games allows far-transfer or is useful in real life situations. I came across this interesting article about why lumosity probably doesn’t work: http://www.iqmindware.com/does-lumosity-work

I’m currently doing QNB because I haven’t progressed beyond D4B since December and I don’t think it would hurt to add more stimulus to memorise, I'm already up to Q2B. Once I reach Q4B, I might move on to CVNB as well since several users on this forum had good outcomes from it. I’m also going to try other WM games on the side like Brain age Devilish Training, Cognitivefun.net PASAT etc.

If you have any recommendations on what other types of brain training is worth doing, I’d love to know. Thanks.  

On Saturday, August 9, 2014 8:03:02 AM UTC+10, Steinbi wrote:

[Heinstar]

I’m still not convinced whether CWM is worth the time or not. The CWM task is very different to the traditional DNB style so I’m not sure how much it transfers compared to DNB. Can anyone else confirm that CWM is worth the time and what type of CWM should I be practising? Verbal, Spatial, Pattern CWM or something else?

I have a lot of time on my hands right now so I really want recommendations on what sort of brain training games I should practice the most in order to have the highest chance of increasing my intelligence. I was struggling 3 years ago, but my life is slowly starting to get better now, obviously some of it is due to getting older and wiser but I also have to give a credit to working memory training. I wish I’ve discovered DNB before I found out about Nootropics on the internet. Because after I've taken the Nootropics, I regretted my decision immediately and I became depressed and hypochondriac for a year. I then discovered DNB and realised that there's less riskier ways to improve my cognition. Although unfortunately, by the time I've discovered DNB it was too late and I've developed IBS and rectal prolapse which made me very unproductive for a year until I eventually got rectal surgery. My gastric health has never been the same since then but there's not much I can do about it. I believe that my lack of intelligence contributed to me becoming unintentionally reckless and not knowing how to take care of my health and eventually leading to gastric problems.  

I believe that I've developed more self control(less impulsive), became less reckless, longer attention span, improved short-term and working memory thanks to working memory training. My ultimate goal from Brain training is to hopefully reach my cognitive potential because I feel like I shouldn’t be this stupid and I wouldn't be surprised if I turned out this way because of the things that happened to me growing up.

My lack of intelligence could just be hereditary, but I believe that I used to be smarter since I used to get better grades than my younger brother back in High School. When I was a teenager, I was more motivated to learn than he was. Although I didn't get very far, I used to teach myself programming and guitar while my younger brother was just diddling on the internet. In Grade 10, my grades were Cs and Bs whereas my younger brother's were one or two Cs but mostly Ds. But after bad things happened to me when I was a teen, my grades plummeted to Ds and Es in Grade 11 and 12 and my younger brother's grades rose to Cs and Bs and he has been successful academically ever since.  

I kind of regret passing down my knowledge and helping my younger brother become smarter by teaching him things like DNB while he was still in High School. Because now, he’s studying full-time at college whereas I can only handle part-time at college since I can never finish the assignments even if I study for 12 hours a day. Somehow, I became the stupid older brother in my family and I have no confidence in my cognitive ability anymore. This is very embarrassing to say, but I can't even get myself to practice driving to get a drivers license because I never feel like I'm ready. I'm hoping that Working Memory Training will help me become a functioning adult and give more confidence in my abilities.

[jotaro]

unrealistic expectations of a small "program that is still debated whether there is transfer to other areas of life outside after  2334655476 years".

On Sun, Aug 17, 2014 at 4:13 PM, Heinstar <yuki.d...@gmail.com> wrote:

After playing around with other modes on BWS, I’ve realised that CNB is probably more mentally stimulating than QNB because with QNB, you only memorise and match 7 different shapes whereas with CNB you have to memorise 7 different letters while also having to match them to 7 audio letters which makes you have to pay even more attention. So I’ve decided to switch to CNB from QNB. I'm going to start easy from CNB and gradually going to add colour and variable modules to it as well.

I’m still not sure whether CWM is worth the time or not, it works in a totally different way to DNB so I’m not sure how effective it is compared to DNB. Can anyone else confirm that CWM is worth the time and what type of CWM should I be playing? Verbal, Spatial, Pattern CWM or something else?

I have a lot of time on my hands right now so I really want recommendations on what sort of brain training games I should practice the most if I want to have the highest chance of increasing my intelligence. I used to struggle a lot 3 years ago, but my life is starting to get better now thanks to DNB and I wish I’ve discovered about DNB before I found out about Nootropics on the internet. Because after I've taken the Nootropics, I regretted my decision immediately and I became depressed for a year. I discovered DNB over 2 years ago and I found hope again in improving myself.

Thanks to DNB, I have developed higher self control, higher critical thinking, I’m less influenced by others and I feel slightly smarter overall. My ultimate goal from DNB is to hopefully reach my cognitive potential because I feel like I shouldn’t be this stupid and I believe that I’m this way because of the things that happened to me growing up.

I even regret teaching my younger brother about DNB while he was still in High School. Because now, he’s studying full-time at college whereas I can only handle part-time at college because I can never finish the assignments even if I study for 12 hours a day.  My lack of intelligence could just be hereditary but I really believe that I used to be smarter than this because I used to get better grades than my younger brother up until grade 10. But somehow, it went the opposite way from Grade 11. I did get drunk once when I was 14 and I fractured my collarbone and bumped my head on the ground during soccer when I was 15. I also tried many oral OTC supplements for my acne and had kidney pain from taking too much Vit A supplement. But I don't think these things can affect my IQ so I have no idea why I started getting worse grades than my younger brother. When I was a teenager, I was more motivated to learn than my younger brother. I used to teach myself programming and guitar while my younger brother was just diddling on the internet. But now, somehow I became the stupid sibling and I procrastinate with everything because I have no confidence in my ability to learn. I'm hoping that Working Memory Training will be able to change my life.

 On Tuesday, July 15, 2014 4:04:38 AM UTC+10, Heinstar wrote:

When I first found out about brain training games especially DNB, I became excited about it possibly improving intelligence. But after reading several threads here, I’m getting the vibe that most brain training games are useless with no far transfer. And almost all brain training studies are about Working Memory Training which makes me think that Working memory is the only cognitive domain that can be improved and transfers to general intelligence.  

I used to play Lumosity in the past, but their games have never been proven to have far-transfer. Most people on reddit are skeptical about Lumosity saying that you only get good at their game. My favourite Lumosity game is Train of Thought and it appears to be a well designed game that gets challenging. But I don’t know if it really improves divided attention and whether improving divided attention is useful in real life. I've lost hope for Lumosity and I've recently stopped renewing the subscription.

I’ve also tried BrainHQ but their games were all boring with bad user interface. I don't think their games have been proven to have far transfer effects either. 

I've wondered if twitch video games like Sc2 and Quake can improve cognitive function such as processing speed. But I’m beginning to think that it probably doesn't and is just a waste of time just like any other video games. And even if Action video games improved certain cognitive functions, I'm guessing that it only improves a useless part of cognition just like juggling supposedly increases grey matter but doesn’t really transfer to anything. 

I've also wondered if solving hard Logic Puzzles can increase problem solving ability. But past studies debunked it deeming useless: http://www.bbc.co.uk/labuk/results/braintestbritain/ So that makes me believe that other puzzle games like chess/gomoku have no transfer as well. On the flip side, there was a study which showed that students who prepared for LSAT over 3 months had improved reasoning skills. But that's just one study.

There's also Clinical Neurofeedback which is supposed to help with concentration and regulation. I often read users on reddit and bulletproof forum swear by that they work and is better than Mindfulness. But Clinical Neurofeedback Sessoins are currently very expensive.

tDCS also seems promising since there's a lot of studies about it recently. But I'm not really interested in tDCS since they are too invasive for my taste.

Nootropics are very popular as well but I’m not interested in drugs anymore and I personally think that there needs to be a regulation on the internet with misinformation about Nootropics. Now that I'm older, I'm more interested in reaching my cognitive potential rather than overdriving my brain with drugs and possibly suffering the consequences later in life. 

So from what I gather so far, currently DNB is the only promising cognitive training(assuming it really transfers). I know that recent studies on DNB is not good but I still haven't given up on it yet. I’ve been stuck at ~70% Dual 4-back for a long time now but I'm still slowly improving, I can also do Triple 3-back. I don't know if it's related to DNB, but my IQ jumped from 108 to 110 on iqtest.dk. 

What do you think? Besides Dual N-back, is there anything else that's worth doing to improve cognitive function? 

--

[Green]

Heinstar,

The research studies appear to be focused working memory, because the cognitive training literature that this forum follows is mostly dedicated to investigating within a particular psychological paradigm. I would counsel against thinking in those terms - they're research terms appropriate for theoretical scientists working within a framework that probably won't exist in 25 years. Instead, I'd suggest thinking within the 'self-experimentation for improvement' framework that's popular among non-scientists on the internet.

Since you describe struggling with school, experiencing a decline in abilities, and having a more successful sibling, I'd suggest that you pursue an evaluation of your cognition and mental well-being from a psychologist who can evaluate you for learning disabilities as well as giving you a fuller appraisal of your cognitive strengths and weaknesses. Based on personal experience, I'd suggest you not waste your time with anyone who isn't smart and thoughtful, and that can mean checking credentials and doing a phone interview before you commit your time and/or money. Bad psychologists and psychiatrists can do harm. I believe a psychiatrist who was in a rush to give me medication did me harm as an adolescent. 

You might also consider doing a checklist of basic health issues with a general practitioner - get an MRI, and check for sleep disorders, hormone or vitamin deficiencies, allergies, or whatever. I think it's best to take a hard look at basic lifestyle issues too - do you put enough effort into sleeping regularly, are you getting enough exercise? etc.

 
  

 

[Steinbi]

Hey Green,

as I mentioned in my reply above and correctly remembered, you managed to implement a verbal n-back task into the BW program. How has it worked for you?

[Green]

Verbal N-back is awesome. But, I plateaued and moved to CWM (verbal/spatial).

I am definitely doing MUCH better these days than I was in 2008 with speech, rate of auditory processing, and reading comprehension. I was struggling with mild cognitive impairment at the time. I can't rule out the possibility that improvement was part of a normal healing process, but I feel like cognitive training played a role.