Brain training games criticised

In another blow to the nurture-based dogma of post-war liberalism, a study of 67 ten-year-olds by a French researcher has found that Nintendo's popular brain training exercises don't improve memory or intelligence.

Nintendo claims its 'edutainment' games such as Big Brain Academy and Brain Training, can improve blood flow to the brain, and thereby improve practical intelligence and slow down mental aging in the elderly.

Since the brain training games had little or no positive effects on the 10-years-olds in the university study, Professor Professor Lieury, who supervised the study, said it was unlikely they would have many cognitive benefits for adults either.

"That's the age where you have the best chance of improvement... If it doesn't work on children, it won't work on adults."

About the only type of cognitive training which may have some IQ boosting effects, are some types of working memory exercises. Recently researchers in Germany found modest improvements in crystalline intelligence among volunteers undertaking a computerised n-back training game.

The n-back game requires users to remember a random series of lit-up squares on a grid, accompanied by spoken letters that are presented at the same time - a task which places heavy demands on working memory and attention.

It will be interesting to see if these results can be replicated in follow-up studies. Working memory-based cognitive training is getting an increasing amount of attention among psychologists and educators with some experts suggesting that the decline in rote learning, and the increased emphasis on abstract reasoning and homework projects in modern schooling is causing an upturn in attention problems among children.