The Binet–Simon scale
Alfred Binet and Théodore Simon introduce tasks to assess children’s development and identify educational support needs, an early milestone in practical intelligence testing.
THE SCIENCE AND THE STORY
A history of brain training: from early tests to BrainApps
From paper intelligence tests to browser-based practice: key ideas about memory, attention and thinking, and how they became part of our projects.
01 / 1905–1974
How cognitive training developed
A timeline of research and digital tools. Diagnostic tests, laboratory tasks and learning apps serve different purposes while helping us understand how we learn.
- 1905
- 1912
William Stern and the concept of IQ
Stern introduces the intelligence quotient. Modern IQ tests use age-based norms rather than the original ratio of mental age to chronological age.
- 1920–1940
Luria, Vygotsky and neuropsychology
Research connects memory, language and thinking with development, learning and brain function. These ideas become part of the neuropsychological approach.
- 1935
The Stroop effect
John Ridley Stroop studies the conflict between reading a word and naming its ink color, establishing a classic task for interference and attention control.
Try the trainer ↗ - 1938
Raven’s Progressive Matrices
Nonverbal pattern-completion tasks explore reasoning with less reliance on vocabulary. They do not remove every cultural influence on test performance.
Explore the method ↗
- 1939
David Wechsler’s scales
The Wechsler–Bellevue scale appears for adults. The children’s WISC follows in 1949, and the adult WAIS in 1955.
- 1956
George Miller: seven, plus or minus two
Miller’s paper discusses information-processing limits and chunking. Its famous number is not a universal memory norm for every person and task.
- 1958
The N-back task
Wayne Kirchner describes a task using rapidly changing information. Comparing each stimulus with one several steps earlier becomes a way to study working-memory updating.
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- 1969
Paul Bach-y-Rita and sensory substitution
Researchers describe conveying visual information through tactile signals, a milestone in studying brain adaptation.
- 1972
Corsi blocks
Philip Corsi’s task explores visuospatial memory by asking people to repeat a sequence of tapped blocks. Computerized tasks later adapt this principle.
- 1974
The Eriksen flanker task
Barbara and Charles Eriksen investigate how surrounding distractors affect target identification, introducing a classic selective-attention task.
Explore the method ↗
- 1990–2010
Digital practice
- 1990–2000
Exercises reach a wider audience
Memory, arithmetic and attention exercises become more visible in popular books. Cognitive practice gradually moves beyond laboratories and specialist settings.
- 2005
Nintendo Brain Age
Brain Age launches in Japan for Nintendo DS. Short arithmetic, reading and attention exercises bring digital cognitive practice to a wide audience.
- 2007
Lumosity launches
Following the founding of Lumos Labs in 2005, Lumosity launches in 2007. Browser-based practice becomes part of the growth of digital cognitive applications.
- 2010
Testing whether training transfers
In Owen and colleagues’ study, participants improved on trained tasks without convincing broad transfer. Progress within an exercise and broader abilities remain distinct outcomes.
- 2014–2026
Our projects’ story
- 2014
BrainApps launches
BrainApps launches in summer 2014 with game-based exercises for memory, attention and thinking. Tests and courses later join the trainers.
- 2018
IQClass: a separate project for children
The team launches IQClass with learning activities and developmental games for children. Today the project offers games, courses and exercises for young learners.
- 2026
Interactive tasks and new learning goals
BrainApps updates its Schulte tables and Stroop trainer. IQClub now focuses on high-school mathematics: Russian EGE and OGE exams at iqclub.ru and SAT Math at iqclub.com.
02 / BRAINAPPS · IQCLASS · IQCLUB
Our projects today
Three directions for our team: cognitive practice, learning for children, and high-school mathematics exam preparation.
Memory · attention · thinking
BrainApps
Cognitive trainers, tests and courses for independent practice. Explore the methods and choose exercises for your goals.
Learning and development for children
IQClass
Developmental games, activities and courses for children, covering logic, memory, attention, literacy and arithmetic.
High-school mathematics
IQClub
Mathematics exam preparation with topic practice, mock tests and error review. iqclub.com covers SAT Math; iqclub.ru covers Russian EGE and OGE exams.
How we approach training
Practice can improve performance on the task being trained. Transfer to other skills needs separate evidence: faster game scores alone do not demonstrate higher IQ or exam success. We therefore develop cognitive practice and subject-based exam preparation as separate directions.
Our methodology ↗03 / Digital practice
From history to hands-on practice
Try two classic tasks in an interactive format, with instructions, results and another round on the same page.
Questions about our history and projects
When did BrainApps launch?
BrainApps launched in summer 2014. Its story continues through cognitive trainers, tests and courses, alongside the team’s separate educational projects.
How do IQClass and IQClub differ?
IQClass offers games, activities and courses for children. IQClub prepares high-school students for mathematics exams: SAT Math on .com and Russian EGE and OGE exams on .ru.
Can brain games replace exam preparation?
No. A trainer provides practice on a particular cognitive task. Exam preparation requires learning mathematics, solving exam-format problems and reviewing mistakes.
BRAINAPPS SCIENCE
Theories and skills on BrainApps
Explore the methods behind the exercises and the skills involved in each task.
BRAINAPPS
Choose your next step
Explore our methodology, try a trainer, or create an account to start practicing on BrainApps.
Start practicing ↗