I doubt the scores of wailing Japanese that buy these games and their hundreds of knock-offs will care one whit about this news, but science doesn't lie. Despite celebrity endorsements suggesting otherwise, theyre is no hard proof that the game improves your brain in any way. From Dr. Jason Braithwaite, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Birmingham:
"There is no conclusive evidence that the continued use of these devices is linked to any measurable improvement in cognition."
But....if celebrities say it works, it has to! Patrick Stewart says it does. Captain Picard does not lie. If he did, it would be equivalent to the collapsing of my inner universe.
Gemaga suggests that this points to Nintendo using these brain games as the modern late night infomercial. While I do think Nintendo is whoring for all they're worth these days, I'm not so sure I feel the same way. While I may not be getting smarter playing Brain Training, it's a fun enough experience regardless. I'd rather see a younger gamer playing it than I would a Bratz game.
As a related aside, the charity Sense About Science has published an updated leaflet in which they warn about celeb endorsement of such products and encourge them not to participate in such "quackery and mumbo-jumbo." I think that combination of words may be my favorite first thing of 2008.
[Via Gemaga]
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Contest:
5:57 PM on 01.03.2008
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Athletes constantly work out to stay sharp...and someone who keeps their mind sharp will be much more ready (intellectually) for most things than someone that doesn't. I guess I don't really understand what this article is getting at.
Just because you're better at doing sums after playing a game that requires you to quickly do sums, doesn't mean your general cognitive ability is improving. It just means that the task you've been doing over and over is becoming a bit more automatic.
If you think Brain Age is fun, then you should play it. I love picross and sudoku myself.
I think everything stimulating you do keeps your mind sharp, including these games. Of course you must engage in a variety of activities and not just a single DS game, but I think it helps. And it says there is no proof that it helps, does that mean they proved it doesn't help at all? Or that they have no results of any kind?
It's statements like this that make me love you colette.
Without having read any of the studies he refers to, I would assume they had people play the game and measure their performance on a number of standardized cognitive tests (on memory, reaction time, logic, etc.) before and after playing. Another way to do it, would be to compare two groups - one playing Brain Age, another playing some other game. If the claim is that Brain Age makes you "smarter", then there should be more improvement with the first group relative to the control group.
As far as the way he words his statement, There is no conclusive evidence, I think is indicative of the way science works. You never prove anything in science. You can either disprove something, or provide data that support a hypothesis. All he is saying, is that the data so far do not support the hypothesis that these games improve cognition. That is, "studies have been done, and they have only found null results" is a reasonable interpretation of his statement.
I can understand how it may not truly make you smarter (aka raise IQ/cognative ability), but how could repetition not improve the speed of your basic math skills, or improve your spelling and word comprehension by practicing new words daily. Isn't that good enough, or at least better than shooting aliens?
It IS a big deal. What if I made a DS game that I claim "reduces the risk of you getting cancer" and sold it? Should I be allowed to profit from people's fears when I can' scientifically back it up?
Before you say it is not the same thing, Brain Training has as much scientific merit, if the studies are to be believed.
Well, now I'm really good at cheating at Rock Paper Scissors. So there.
only because she is so smart and sexy and it's all because of brain age.
Lol. That is just awesome.