Just read your post - very detailed and informative, thanks so much for sharing.
I highly recommend "Moonwalking With Einstein" by Joshua Foer about his experiences training alongside memory championship competitors. Also, working memory tends to be domain-specific and there's little transfer as you mention, see K. Anders Ericsson: http://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/ericsson/ericsson.exp.perf.ht...
Really enjoyed your post though, shooting you an email now...
Spatial reasoning is indeed correlated to mathematical talent, but from this study you cannot really conclude that running == better math. In any case, one more datum to the tons of evidence showing that exercise is good for you :-)
I would argue that it takes a lot more spatial reasoning to balance over uneven terrain by manipulating many-jointed arms and legs then to wasd your way around a map that's mostly smooth.
And yet, there's plenty of research showing spatial memory improvements through video games. Funny how that works out - high level navigational skills can be improved by deliberate practice and tasks of adaptive difficulty, whereas engaging in ordinary tasks honed by eons of evolution don't much affect it?
The software claims to replicate the physiological effects of running. If a person combined a consistent exercise regime with this software training, will he/she turn into a genius?
I see some combination involving running, a double-n-back program, a GPS receiver and goggles with a head up display yielding some iteractive think-while-you-run training regime.
Achievement unlocked: used the program for 100 hours without being run over by a car.
27 comments
[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 80.7 ms ] threadHere's a study on improving fluid intellience from Jaeggi and Buschkuehl (two of the people on their team): http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2008/04/25/0801268105.full...
Does anyone here have any experience actually using this?
At least it will definitely help you with short term memory and focus.
For the skeptics, http://www.gwern.net/DNB%20FAQ#criticism
I highly recommend "Moonwalking With Einstein" by Joshua Foer about his experiences training alongside memory championship competitors. Also, working memory tends to be domain-specific and there's little transfer as you mention, see K. Anders Ericsson: http://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/ericsson/ericsson.exp.perf.ht...
Really enjoyed your post though, shooting you an email now...
One from a Nobel prize winning phsyicist... the other from Alanis Morissette.
;)
Sidenote 2: This page appears to be as much a product advertisement as news/research.
That is to say, where is the link to math?
(Or it could be that this is consistent with the long line of research showing benefits to aerobic training...)
Achievement unlocked: used the program for 100 hours without being run over by a car.
I like the idea of this study but that's an awful lot of running. What if a human had to run a marathon every day to see this benefit?
Maybe someone will find that running in Call of Duty has the same effect.