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Increase Your Attention Span!

Is it possible to increase your working memory?
Posted Mar 14, 2012
Carl Beuke Ph.D.
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Can focus and attention span be trained? Recent research reported in American Chaos
Psychologist suggests you may be able to increase your focus, working memory,
and even your intelligence through a free computer game—do try this at home.
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This game has also been suggested as a treatment for Attention Deficit Disorder. “Gaslighting” to Control and
What's the point of paying attention? Abuse

The ability to control your focus of attention is very valuable in a range of

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areas of life. At school, students need to focus to learn. Working memory, Anxious, or Fearful
the ability to keep several relevant pieces of information in mind at once, is Attachment Style

closely related to the ability to control your attentional focus and is key to
effective performance in many jobs. Computer programmers need to hold 12 Failures of Highly
several subroutines in mind to understand how the new software they are Manipulative People

developing will fit together. Interviewers need to hold together the different

things that a job candidate says to detect themes and inconsistencies.
Scientists need to keep the different components of a new theory in mind to
see how they interact to make predictions. Research has closely linked
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working memory to fluid intelligence.

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Recent research has suggested that working memory can be trained using Want To Be Creative? Let Your Mind
Wander
a special computer game. In addition to the direct effects on working
memory, some recent research has suggested that regular attentional
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training has other benefits.

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Reducing symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

One study showed that children who regularly played an attentional training Not So Hot for Tots

game for twenty days showed reduced symptoms of ADD, as rated by their
parents.

Increasing fluid intelligence Find a Therapist

Several studies have found that regular attentional training can increase Get the help you need from a
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performance on Raven's Progressive Matrices and similar tests of fluid service from Psychology Today.
intelligence, or g(F). This is important because g(F) is a strong predictor of
many life outcomes including job performance. City or Zip

Do try this at home

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The best established attentional training game is called dual n-back, and
you can download and use the software free. You can probably tell from the North America:
name alone that dual n-back isn't exactly the instantly addictive ‘Bejewelled
USA Canada
Blitz', but it has its charms in an oddly meditative way. The game requires
you to simultaneously remember letters (spoken aloud by the computer) and United Kingdom:
locations of squares on a tic-tac-toe style grid (presented visually, obviously). England Scotland
At the easiest difficulty level, you need only remember the letters or Northern Ireland Wales

locations from the previous round. At harder difficulty levels, you need to
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remember letters or locations from longer ago (the round-before-last, and so
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on). Harder difficulty levels quickly become fiendishly difficult and
demanding, but you can always ease off and practice at the easier levels.

On the PC, you can play the dual n-back game by downloading the open-
source software Brain Workshop. On the iPad, you can download the IQ
boost app (also free). Both of these versions of the game come with full
instructions.

It should be noted that research in this area is at an early stage, and your
results may vary. Anecdotal comments on various internet sites report a
range of benefits, from significant to none at all. Still, it never hurts to try. A
common theme is that it takes dedicated practice to achieve significant
results.

Tried the dual n-back game? Share your experiences by leaving a comment.

Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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2 Comments
Thanks for the info
Submitted by Mtich on March 27, 2012 - 7:40am

I downloaded the program and will check it out--thanks. I have tried other free
memory training games via websites and purchased two memory software
packages many years ago. I enjoyed them, although beyond improving at the
game itself, I wasn't able to really validate carry over effect to working memory
beyond that. I use visual mnemonics to memorize things if I feel the need to
remember something--so often don't rely solely on my working memory--
although working memory is certainly involved in mnemonics at some level. I'll
check this out after work.

All the best-

Reply to Mtich Quote Mtich

re: thanks for the info

Submitted by Carl Beuke Ph.D. on March 31, 2012 - 6:00pm

Thanks Mitch - good luck with the software & let us know how it goes. I also
found it hard to figure out whether the training 'transferred' over to real life - I
suspect we'll get a better picture of this as controlled research is done in this
area.

Reply to Carl Beuke Ph.D. Quote Carl Beuke Ph.D.

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About the Author Carl Beuke, Ph.D., is a psychologist working in

management and leadership. He works with the New
Zealand Prisons Service and Ministry for the Environment,
among others.
Online: My LinkedIn Profile

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