Throw Away the Brain Train Games! They're No Good for Real Intelligence
My husband's a great one for looking for things that train your brain. All well and good. But a new study has found that while these apps and games and Web sites do help you hold information in your mind, they don't do anything for the real intelligence you're probably looking for -- the kind that helps you solve problems, and reason. According to newswise.com, "It is hard to spend any time on the web and not see an ad for a website that promises to train your brain, fix your attention, and increase your IQ,” says psychological scientist and lead researcher Randall Engle of Georgia Institute of Technology. “These claims are particularly attractive to parents of children who are struggling in school.” Engle says the claims are based on evidence that shows "a strong correlation between working memory capacity (WMC) and general fluid intelligence." Working memory capacity refers to our ability to keep information either in mind or quickly retrievable, p...