You’ve probably seen the advertisements for playing various games on your smartphone or computer that claim to be able to measure your brain’s actual age, or games that claim to be able to take years off your brain’s age. How much benefit do games like those really offer?
According to a recent study from the University of California, “brain training” or memory games might offer benefit for the actual game involved, but some people won’t see it transfer into their being more mentally flexible outside the game. The concept of this is called near transfer and far transfer. An example of near transfer is being skilled at playing a word-based game and therefore being better at crossword puzzles, while far transfer would be a demonstration that the skills learned during a word game can be applied to everyday activities that aren’t related to a game.
Gaming Skills and Life
However, some people do experience quite a boost from applying strategies and problem-solving skills used in games (as well as video games) to other areas of their life, so it was unclear why the transfer between activities was not more consistent in all populations of people.
Researchers studied over 500 people to establish the connection between near transfer and far transfer for further understanding. Some of it comes down to fluid intelligence: the capability to reason abstractly after strengthening working memory during memory games or so-called brain-training games. In order for those types of brain exercises to be helpful, there has to be a turnover into fluid intelligence. Near transfer correlates with fluid intelligence if the brain operates better at abstract reasoning and problem-solving.
Transfer Hypotheses and Engagement
Think of near transfer as getting good at using an exercise bike which made biking outdoors more successful; and the far transfer application of that would be that there is more ability and desire to do other physical activities, like running.
Researchers hypothesize near transfer leads to far transfer, yet some struggle to even achieve near transfer. Certain training isn’t universally effective. Engagement and enjoyment levels are crucial to sustain interest and prevent disengagement.
A study with 30,000 adults explores brain training games to determine their usefulness for diverse populations. Some people on smartphones playing games are growing their brains; for others, it’s just entertainment.
Further Reading
Anja Pahor, Aaron R. Seitz, Susanne M. Jaeggi. Near transfer to an unrelated N-back task mediates the effect of N-back working memory training on matrix reasoning. Nature Human Behaviour, 2022; DOI: 10.1038/s41562-022-01384-w
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