A game app says, “Solving this Sudoku means your IQ is higher than 240.” Really? Einstein’s IQ is thought to be around 170. And most IQ charts stop at 180. According to Brian Resnick, studies that claim brain training games can boost IQ are "bullshit — and that’s the point.” (1)
What vexes me is the thought that people might actually buy into these claims, especially our impressionable youth with less knowledge and experience. IQ is more complicated than a game score. IQ is a composite score made up of the results of tests of reasoning, memory, acquired knowledge, and mental processing speed. IQ is mainly influenced by genetics and is generally consistent throughout your life but can improve with nutrition, environment, and education. Each additional year in school can boost IQ by over 3 points. (2)
Smug game player thinks app predicts IQ
So get this kids: drop the app and the fast food and pick up an apple. Better yet, eat brain foods like dark chocolate and blueberries. (4) And how about taking another class? No, not one on how to play Fortnite.
Kid playing game app and eating fast food. Image generated by Bing AI
Don’t get me wrong. I play WordScapes, a word puzzle app. But I don’t kid myself, it’s more about fun than brain boosting.
I also play Lumosity and Peak which supposedly improve memory, attention, flexibility, speed of processing, and problem-solving. The developer of these games claims they’ve done studies to prove their positive impact on these skills.
But I wonder if these games really do any good. Sometimes I think they just train me to be better/faster at swiping and tapping the screen.
These games do make me concentrate. The Lumosity Ant game forces me to pay attention to multiple things at once like putting barriers in front of ants to keep them from crashing into each other while they collect seeds. It reminds me of driving, you have to scan the environment to avoid crashes. Is it possible these games will make me a better driver? It's like driving a car, only my brain is now programmed to spot ants, not other cars.
Experts confirm my doubts. They say it’s difficult to prove that learning from quizzes and games transfers to everyday life. One study found that older drivers who did computer-based training for memory, reasoning, or speed of processing, were less likely to be involved in a car accident in the following six years. (5) Another study found that older gamers improved their attention and multitasking performance – surpassing 20-somethings who played the game for the first time. These studies are a shred of evidence to suggest that if you develop a type of “game” that targets a specific cognitive ability, it might help some people in some cases,” says Pete Etchells, a psychologist at Bath Spa University, who studies the behavioral effects of playing video games. (6)
And speaking of Bath Spa University, why did the university add the word Spa to its name in 1997? Did some influential alumnus donate a Spa? Was it Sir Donald Maitland, a British Prime Minister’s press secretary, or maybe it was Kill It Kid, a blues/grunge/Americana band, recording artist?
The jury is still out on brain-enhancing apps, and the results are mixed. One study in Nature showed people who used the Lumosity game showed improvements in their memory and attention skills while another study in the Journal of Psychological Science (JPS) found that there was no significant difference in cognitive function between Lumosity users and non-users. I want to believe the Nature study, but fear the JPS study might be right.
Daniel Simons, a Psychological scientist from the University of Illinois, analyzed 132 journal studies and saw that many studies on games and cognition were flawed. They lacked enough participants to represent the population and forgot to check if the improvements were just because time was passing. Simons said, “If you practice remembering playing cards, you’ll get really good at remembering playing cards. But does that help you remember which medications to take, and when? Does it help you remember your friends’ names? Historically, there is not much evidence that practicing one task improves different tasks in other contexts, even if they seem to rely on the same ability.”
It seems the only real evidence of what works for learning are the tried and true ways: repetition, reading, and doing puzzles.
Didn't we learn the difference among these in 3rd grade?
So, be skeptical if your grandkid is getting his or her IQ score from a game app. And if you are interested in trying a brain training app, choose one that has been evaluated by researchers. Remember, these apps may not turn back the clock on cognitive decline and results can be as unpredictable as the weather.
References
Brian Resnick, Brain training games don’t boost IQ. Here’s what does., Vox.com, June 22, 2016
Brian Resnick, IQ Explained in 9 Charts, vox.com, October 10, 2017
Jeff Bercovici, Why Do So Many Journalists Hate Vox?, Forbes, May 12, 2014
Foods Linked to Better Brainpower, health.harvard.edu, March 6, 2021
Cognitive Training Decreases Motor Vehicle Collision Involvement of Older Drivers
Karlene Ball PhD, Jerri D. Edwards Ph.D., Lesley A. Ross Ph.D., Gerald McGwin, Jr. MS, PhD, Brain-Training Claims Not Backed by Science, Report Shows, October 3, 2016
Sabrina Weiss, Brain training apps don't really work. So why do we love them?, wired.com, June 10, 2019
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