Making a start on the BFP – Part 3
Question: How do I know that the BFP will work?
Answer: The Posit Science Brain Fitness Program Classic has been identified in the scientific literature as making a realistic attempt to evaluate its outcomes scientifically. That is the first requirement in terms of knowing if a program will work. Anecdotes are not enough…they can be ‘feel good’ statements, that may seem real at the time but may not last.
BFP and scientific standards of good practice
A review of the literature says “we would argue that the efficacy of software marketed as enhancing cognition and/or the brain, needs to be empirically validated and reported according to scientific standards of good practice (see Mahncke, Bronstone, & Merzenich, 2006, for an initial effort in this direction.)
Referring to science is not enough..
Many commercially driven brain improvement packages refer to the neuro-scientific literature or provide anecdotes to validate their recommendations but do not test their product.
Many would therefore take up time which could be used more beneficially (like reading to grandchildren, playing sport, gardening?) and any hope of lasting benefits may be non-existent.
If I am involving my physical brain (that very complex secretive instrument inside my skull) I prefer evidence-based interventions, some testing out of a program and preferably publication of the outcomes in peer reviewed scientific journals of some standing. However this is a new field of research and it will take time.
What contributes to healthy aging?
Among the various activities which contribute to healthy aging, (like exercise, friends, family and social networks , reading and learning new things) a computer delivered Brain Fitness Program would be a worthwhile component.
On the web there are a couple of other programs which will have some scientific backing in the future. I shall watch them with interest, but the majority of software currently marketed as enhancing brain function lack clinical trials and supporting evidence for training and transfer into everyday living. However it is extremely hard to assess whether software programs work: it will take time.
So planning and attention to the Posit Science BFP auditory tune-up is my goal at the moment. (CONTINUE)“
