Cglotr7
is it possible to change one's iq by doing dual n-back? i have noticed that sometimes i ll get a headache after doing a long session of dual-n back. is the headache an indication that my brain is experience change? if say it does not affect the iq, what benefit does dual n-back give us?
thank you for anybody answering :)
Tycho
I tend to feel really sleepy after a really hard dual n back session, however I don't think having a headache is a sign of the structure of the brain changing, I think it's probably just caused by the effort needed to sustain so much attention. Just out of interest are you someone who often deals with complex problem solving or is it something you do rarely?
Cglotr7
i am in a 3rd year engineering program so i am exposed to some complex problem solving especially when it comes to math in which i am bad at. the reason why i am so interested in the post n-back headache that i experienced is that, i usually feel the same thing after doing a hard/intense math exams/tests. but doing n-back is not really the same as doing math problem since, at least in my opinion n-back is more about utilizing subconscious part of the brain while math is using the conscious part.
danio
I disagree about the subconscious part of the brain being used during N-back.
Mainly because you are focusing your attention and try to remember as many previous objects, e.g. letters, consciously.
N-back's basic goal is to enhance your working memory capacity, i.e. to allow you to hold in your memory more ideas/concepts and manipulate them at the same time, thus being able to increase the processing power during acquisition of knowledge or creative thinking.
pedros
There is no good evidence, that dnb training increase IQ.
No, headache isn't indication of brain change, particuraly brain enchancing.
Regular, moderate intense DNB and SNB (single n-back) training probably increase capacity of working memory and level of concentration.
Brunion
Pedros, no evidence? What about the John Jonides (michigan state university) last reseach?
Miomek
the reason you are getting the headaches is strain to do the n-back task. You are probably trying very hard to do it well. It is not a good thing to strain and you should not force yourself to do better. Instead just do as well as you currently can but in a relaxed way. This principle also applies to other tasks you are doing which cause you headache. On the side note you are probably wearing glasses or lenses which are evidence of your way of doing things through strain. For more information check out Bates Method.
Good luck with your training!
pedros
Some recent studies:
http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/xge/142/2/359/
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0063614
Arjuna
The headache is because it is mentally exhausting to use willpower for focus. Do it at night if possible, so that you have the will power during the day. I believe it can improve IQ if you are someone who struggles with focus and if you desire to commit to the exercise for this purpose. The studies that don't show an IQ benefit I believe are flawed by subjects who felt ambivalent to the outcome. If it doesn't improve IQ I know that it does improve sleep, dream recall, happiness, and ease and complexity of conversation.
pedros
"The Art of Memory" is the best book I know about history of mnemotechnics, but doesn't content many practical information about it. If You need a real useful and practical books, I recommend:
"Your memory" Kenneth Higbee
"How to develop a Perfect Memory" Dominic O'Brien (one of the arcmaster)
"How to develop a Super Power Memory" Harry Lorayne.
Brunion
Can i ask you, what did you think (as a mnemonist) about the Frances Yates book "The art of memory"? Is it useful?
Cglotr7
personally i believe dnb can improve intelligence if done correctly that is. i try not to use tricks in doing the exercise so my brain can adapt to it naturally. i want to be good at dnb by using my subconscious mind. yeah, test subjects dont have the same passion to improve like most of us here i think, so the experiment is already flawed from the beginning.
Miomek
Hey, Arjuna ,thanks for sharing your experiences with n-back. I was a little concerned with comments like there is no evidence for this kind exercise's effeciveness. I also have noticed improvement though not through n-back but through other brain exercises. I still new to n-back but I have decided to give it a try.
Arjuna
It is a commonly agreed upon point by users and psychologists to not use the the subconscious mind for this task. To bridge the subconscious memorization to the conscious access is the goal.
Arjuna
What other exercises? I've used dual n back for months. I've gained 9 IQ points, and a much deeper ability to meditate and visualize.
gedizgursu
The headache is usually caused by blood vessel diameter increase. It is called vasodilation(1). It is an indication you have forced yourself too much so you have depleted your energy stores and it tries to compensate by pumping more blood to brain, which is not so healthy. Headache means you are stressed(2) biologically and you should rest.
IQ and focus are really different things imo, the point is the regulate conscious mind to allow subconscious mind to accomplish the task. When I was a child I had incredible high IQ scores and then messed it up by not exercising it, and quitting sports and smoking (2 packs/d) , drinking coffee (20 cups/d). They are both vasoconstrictors. I go through bipolarity to stabilized state (unipolar) which is a less IQ and less EQ. Till I get mild cognitive dysfunction.
IQ means that you remember everything related to the situation and find the most efficient concepts or memories without even trying ... I was finishing 180 questions SAT like test (harder than SAT) in 40 minutes with double-checking. I was learning to play a strategy game and sit in ladder top 50 in 10 days (warcraft 3 -starcraft ) etc... Thats IQ, which means "use the FORCE young one !"
I Hope this helps. I try to climb back to the point I was. it seems impossible without a happy family, lots free and fun time exercises , being financially - physically and emotionally secure and being higher plasticity (young age).
Anyone knows anything useful please share ... It gets much more better if you share because you get smarter friends which mutually benefits and always stays as friends because what you share makes them more alive and happy ...
Sephethus
Well that really sucks. What's the point of any of this then? If training these tasks yields nothing but improvement in these specific tasks, then it's all f'ing pointless and there's no real hope for any cognitive improvement for anyone on anything. I was really hoping this would transfer to piano and application development.
pedros
Sephethus, don't worry. There are a lot activities with strong evidence, which enhance the brain. Check this: http://tvblogs.nationalgeographic.com/2014/03/10/go-on-a-mind-diet-with-our-brainfood-pyramid/
bgottli13
Numerous studies have been conducted in the past 7 years on the effect Dual N Back exercises have on the brain, including one's IQ. The famous and often-cited 2008 study conducted by Jaeggi, et al. concluded that performing Dual N Back exercises for several days in a row resulted in an increase in Gf, or fluid intelligence, which measures novel reasoning and problem solving. Since 2008, several studies have debunked the Jaeggi 2008 study as incapable of replication, unreliable, and inaccurate.
As a consequence, in 2014, Jaeggi, et al. performed a follow-up study, which took into account many if not all of the criticisms from the post-2008 study completed by Jaeggi, et al. In this 2014 study, Jaeggi, et al. concluded that exercising Dual N Back daily for several days can result in a 3-4 point increase in one's IQ.
Notwithstanding this follow-up study by Jaeggi, et al., several professors and neuroscientists still call into question whether brain training, including Dual N Back exercises, can actually increase one's IQ or Gf. Jaeggi, however, encourages the neuroscience community to shift their focus away from the question of whether Dual N Back exercises can increase one's IQ, and instead focus on what training methods can be fine-tuned to maximize the growth of one's IQ through brain training.
In conclusion, the answer to the question posed in this forum is controversial and unclear, even among leading neuroscientists in the county. That being said, I've been completing Dual N Back exercises for over a year now, and to be effective at completing the exercises, I've been forced to develop the skill to stay calm in order to be able to hold and manipulate information being presented in my mind while new information is continually presented. It cannot be disputed that, at a minimum, this skill set improves one's ability to listen, follow a conversation, read, and write.