Brain Fitness Australia

The Attention Buttons on Insight and BFP

Visual and auditory processing
Both programs are concerned with sensory input, one auditory (the BFP) and one visual (Insight)

• GET READY! Start buttons demand our attention in both programs.

Auditory Sweeps Identification

Horizantal bars of varying widths and intervals move in and out.

In the Brain Fitness Program, auditory sweeps UP or DOWN of varying frequencies and interval are presented through your earphones. You are required to select the correct order using the arrows.

In Insight, visual sweeps, horizontal or vertical bars of varying widths (frequencies) move IN or OUT , and are presented in a game context. You are required to select the correct order from the buttons “IN or OUT” with rewards attached.

Visual sweeps IN or OUT are indentified in a game format

• speed of processing

The sweeps in both programs measure speed of processing in the auditory or visual sensory systems.

• baseline assessments

You also are given a baseline assessment and tutorials in each sub-program, however there is choice built into Insight but not in the BFP.

• getting it right

The same old personal trainer is sitting at your elbow, making sure you are getting it right ( see my post on errorless learning)!

• rewards

You can skip rewards in the BFP , but in Insight you get them awarded regardless. Actually they are graphically quite delightful and contribute to the enjoyment of the exercises.

Bird Safari has some of the features of “Match-it” in the BFP, with the identification of the target bird and its position in space becoming increasingly difficult. I imagine that as the birds get more visually similar and demand greater acuity it will be of the same genre as “Tell us Apart” in the BFP. In that exercise using computer generated syllables, it became more and more difficult to discriminate between them.

“Master Gardener” is concerned with visual memory, rather like

“Sound Sequencing” in the BFP where auditory sequential memory was tested. In Master Gardener the correct identification is required but the sequence is immaterial and makes it easier (I think!). Some visual acuity is certainly required and UFOV is involved.

The rules of the game

I was glad to feel the similarity between the two programs in terms of structure, assessment, goals, timing and calibration. I feel I know the rules of the game! They are very different experiences, however. Methinks there has been some neuro-plasticity occurring in Posit Science?

Anyone done (or doing) both programs and see any similarities (or differences)? Any preferences?

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 5:00 am and is filed under Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.