2010
11 430participants
Online practice and general transfer
11,430 adults trained for six weeks: task performance improved without convincing general transfer. The study did not test BrainApps.
Owen et al. · Nature · 2010
BRAINAPPS / RESEARCH
Brain training research: memory, attention and skill transfer
How can we distinguish improvement on an exercise from a change in cognitive skills? Explore the evidence and the classic tasks used in BrainApps.
01 / Research
Three levels of improvement
Research needs to define the outcome in advance. Repeating an exercise, completing a similar task and applying a skill in daily life are different outcomes.
Practice on the task
You complete a familiar exercise with the same rules and response format.
Near transfer
You perform a different task that uses similar processes.
Far transfer
You apply a skill in a different setting, such as learning or work.
02 / 2010 → 2026
What published research shows
Participants, training protocols and outcome measures shape each conclusion. These three studies ask different questions; their results cannot be combined into a single effectiveness percentage.
2024
6meta-analyses
Working memory in healthy adults
Six meta-analyses of varied interventions in healthy adults aged 18–55 found a small average working-memory benefit.
Syed et al. · Journal of Intelligence · 2024
2026
20years of follow-up
Long-term ACTIVE follow-up
ACTIVE (65+) linked speed training with booster sessions to fewer dementia diagnoses. These findings do not establish effects of BrainApps.
Coe et al. · ACTIVE · 2026
What relates to BrainApps
This page brings together external research and explanations of our tasks. Our open Schulte and Stroop trainers show each attempt’s results and keep a history in your browser. These personal measurements help track practice; they are not a controlled study of the platform’s effectiveness.
Our methodology ↗03 / BRAINAPPS
From research task to interactive practice
BrainApps turns classic task principles into interactive exercises. Each has a specific rule and its own conditions for comparing performance.
Visual search and attention
Schulte tables and visual-search tasks ask you to find a target among other items. Grid size, mode and rules change the conditions.
Interference control and switching
Stroop puts word meaning and ink color in conflict. The flanker task places distracting items around the target.
Working and spatial memory
N-back requires updating information; memory matrices and span tasks involve retaining locations and sequences.
Planning and pattern finding
The travelling-salesperson task requires route planning. Other reasoning tasks ask you to discover a rule or a missing element.
04 / Research
What BrainApps results measure
The open Schulte and Stroop trainers show the results of individual attempts. Compare the same settings, and consider speed alongside accuracy.
| Measure | What it means | How to compare |
|---|---|---|
| Completion or response time | Your search or response pace in a selected mode. | Keep the grid, rule and device the same; consider errors. |
| Accuracy and errors | How consistently you follow the rule. | Compare attempts with the same duration and difficulty. |
| Task difficulty | Grid size, task variant or memory load. | Compare results at one level before changing it. |
| History and consistency | When you practiced and how each attempt went. | Look at several attempts rather than one best score. |
05 / BRAINAPPS
How to track your own progress
A simple routine helps distinguish learning the rules from a sustained change in your performance.
Try Schulte tables ↗Learn the rule
Use a familiarization attempt to understand the task and controls.
Keep the conditions fixed
Choose one mode and difficulty. Use the same device and duration.
Look across attempts
Track accuracy, time and difficulty. One good round does not establish a lasting improvement.
Assess separate goals separately
Transfer needs a different assessment. Use exam questions for exam readiness and the new task’s own measures for a new task.
Questions about the research
Does cognitive training work?
Practice helps you learn a particular task. A conclusion about another skill depends on what was measured and how the result was compared.
Why use a control group and independent tasks?
A control group helps account for repeated testing and expectations. An independent task checks whether change extends beyond the familiar exercise.
Is a game score an IQ score?
No. Time, accuracy and points describe performance on a specific task. IQ uses separate standardized assessments with age-based norms.
Where do the open trainers store results?
The open Schulte and Stroop trainers save history in the current browser. Other BrainApps games and sections may follow separate storage rules.
BRAINAPPS SCIENCE
Explore our scientific theories
Read about a particular task or explore the connections between attention, memory and thinking in the skills tree.
For researchers
Interested in collaborating on cognitive tasks? Visit our section for researchers and tell us about your research question.
BRAINAPPS
From understanding to practice
Start with one task, learn its rule and compare attempts under the same conditions.
