Brain Training with Posit Science - Day Something-Or-An0ther

Last month, Posit Science thoughtfully sent me a review copy of their latest brain training product,  Insight.   I popped it into the computer, jotted down my preliminary thoughts, and embarked on the program, fully intending to blog about my progress along the way.  

The blogging hasn’t happened, because  “along the way” hasn’t happened.

Mind you, I have no doubts that program is effective - in fact, my exposure to the software makes me think it’s quite capable of helping users sharpen the targeted vision processing areas in the brain.  

But I’m not seeing progress.

I’m not seeing progress,  because I haven’t been doing the training sessions.  

Yes, yes,  I am a negligent brain-trainer.   But stop that  finger wagging! There’s a reason for my negligence, and it *does* lay in the software itself. You see,  the recommended training program takes 40 minutes a day.  It’s broken up into 4 sessions of ten minutes each - but still… 

Forty. Minutes.  A Day.  

On top of the forty minute barrier, the  exercises themselves are quite taxing. A few moments into the sessions, and both my eyes and my brain start feeling fatigued.  It may be due to my current ADD-like lack of focus - the games are very repetitive by design, but the fatigue is also likely because of one of the programs strengths:  the difficulty level automatically adjusts to your ability (even within a single session) so you’re constantly being challenged at the edge of your ability.

The sort of constant challenge that InSight creates is very good for the brain, forcing new neural pathways and strengthening connections.   Unfortunately, it’s very bad for this ADD addled blogger’s desire to actually use the program, which, as you can imagine, limits it’s effectiveness.

(I should note that there is an option to select the individual games for any length of time, as opposed to following the program, an option which I somehow managed to ignore up to this point.  I’ll let you know how that works out.)

So, bottom line review?

I’m  impressed with the auto-adjustment feature, and the level of challenge the program constantly presents.    I appreciate the way some of the games are keyed into senior’s likely  interests - gardening, birdwatching, world travel, virtual car trips down Route 66 that should jog fond memories for the older generations. 

But this is serious brain-training, folks.   You’ll need to approach it with the same sort of dedication you’d bring to athletic training.  More casual users of the program may find it’s just too dull to hold their interest long enough to do any good - and finding 40 minutes a day to do the recommended sessions can be tricky if you’ve already got a full schedule.   And the price tag is serious, too: $395 for one player, $495 for two. 

My recommendation for readers:  

Buy this one for your Dad or Grandmother.   InSight is best suited for seniors who have more free time and are likely more motivated than this 40 something blogger.  Since it’s targeted towards visual processing, it’s likely very useful  for older users who may be  starting to struggle with driving - but casual, younger users who expect a faster pace from their history with video games may find themselves frustrated, and would do well to look elsewhere. 

MindTweak: ADD people need not apply.