December 2014
in
Research Methodology and Cognitive Science
To assess if the mechanism of perceptual-cognitive training can transfer to spatial and semantic abilities in students.
60 male lower secondary school students were randomly assigned a NeuroTracker training group (21 sessions over 7 days) or a passive control group (no training). Pre- and post-training assessment were carried out with the Test of Spatial Ability and the Test Of Semantic Skills–Intermediate.
The control group showed negligible change between pre and post tests, whereas the NeuroTracker group showed significant transfer with around a 50% gain in spatial ability and a 55% gain in semantic skills. The researchers concluded that a NeuroTracker intervention can increase cognitive abilities in secondary school students.
Individual with Autism can perform NeuroTracker at different cognitive loads and benefit from feedback at low difficulty levels.
To investigate the cognitive characteristics of individuals with with Autism compared to neurotypical individuals in response to different NeuroTracker loads and feedback.
27 adolescents and adults with Autism and 28 neurotypical adolescents and adults ASD were tasked with performing NeuroTracker at low load (1-target tracking) and high load (4-target tracking) across two sessions of training. Half of the participants received feedback on each trial, and half did not.
Although participants with Autism scored lower than neurotypicals, high load sessions were tolerated equally in comparison to low load sessions. Feedback improved NeuroTracker performance overall, except for participants with Autism on the high load sessions. Participants with Autism receiving feedback scored better than neurotypical participants without feedback, but only on the low load sessions. The results suggest that individuals with Autism can perform NeuroTracker at different loads, and that feedback aids performance at low difficulty levels.
NeuroTracker peer-reviewed research shows promising relevance for broad cognitive enhancement across different populations.
To assess the usefulness of NeuroTracker (3D-MOT) as a cognitive enhancement tool to overcome the common challenges associated with cognitive training products.
The author conducted a comprehensive review of current literature for cognitive enhancement tools, as well as the specific literature on NeuroTracker to probe its strengths and weaknesses as a research tool. Evidence was also examined for the cognitive domains that NeuroTracker addresses.
NeuroTracker was found to have broad scientific relevant for improving a number of cognitive domains, including information processing, attention, working memory, inhibition, and executive functions. Far transfer effects were found in the following human performance domains: visual information processing in healthy adults, biological motion processing in healthy aging subjects, on-field performance in soccer players, and in attention for populations with neurodevelopmental deficits. The author concluded, that while promising peer-reviewed research exists, more investigations are needed to robustly establish the beneficial effects of this method in the context of cognitive enhancement.
NeuroTracker training is highly accessible and understandable for children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
This feasibility study investigated the viability of implementing an in-classroom NeuroTracker adaptive training program for adolescents with extremely low IQ.
Twenty-six adolescents aged between 11 and 16 years with IQs with the extremely low Weschler-based IQ scores completed 45 training sessions on either the NeuroTracker. Recruitment and retention rates and adherence to the program were assessed. 42% of participants presented a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 15% had a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and 11% had Down syndrome.
100% of all participants meeting the inclusion criteria completed all stages of the study from baseline to post-intervention assessments. The researchers concluded the results suggest that implementing NeuroTracker as a classroom-based intervention is feasible with this population.
NeuroTracker measures performed at different numbers of targets can be useful in characterizing attentional capacities in different populations.
This study sought to investigate the resource limits for dynamic visual attention across age development using NeuroTracker speed thresholds as a measure of attentional capacity.
21 participants were grouped by age: school-aged (6-12 years), adolescent (13-18 years), adult (19-30 years). Each group completed NeuroTracker baselines using speed threshold measurements at progressively increasing numbers of targets.
For all groups, speed thresholds changed in a logarithmic way consistent with the relative increase in multiple object tracking demands. Attentional capacities for NeuroTracker were determined by age, with significantly lower multiple object tracking limits for school-aged individuals. The findings also suggested that the 3D stereo component of NeuroTracker is a critical enabling factor for processing greater attentional loads: school-aged individuals could track numbers of targets beyond the limits of 2D non-stereo (as established in previous studies). These findings suggest that NeuroTracker can be used for characterizing the development of resource allocation in attentional processes through the use of a measure that best approximates real-world conditions.
Attention and feedback are known to play critical roles in learning. This preliminary study sought to assess the benefits of instant feedback within NeuroTracker task performance.
38 young adults (mean 23yrs old) completed 4 NeuroTracker sessions over two days. 19 participants were assisted with feedback on test performance throughout the sessions, and 19 were given no feedback. Pre and post training assessments were completed using the Continuous Performance Test II to measure cognitive function.
The participants assisted with feedback demonstrated greater improvement in NeuroTracker scores over the 4 sessions. The feedback group also demonstrated better transferability effects to the CPT-II task, reflected by a significantly decreased pre/post mean error rate. The results indicate that feedback has a positive effect on performance and may be an important aspect of transfer to cognitive functions.
NeuroTracker performance is linked fluid reasoning intelligence, particularly so in conditions of high load tracking.
The objective of the study was to examine MOT capability at different levels of cognitive load (tracking 1,2,3, or 4 objects) and its association to higher level processes, particularly fluid reasoning intelligence.
70 adult participants (mean= 23 years of age) completed NeuroTracker and were then assessed on the Weschler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence 2 test. Participants were asked to track one, two, three and four targets out of a total of 8 spheres for eight seconds.
The results showed that as the number of targets increased, the average speed the participants successfully tracked all the objects decreased. This finding allowed the researchers to confirm that average speed score can be used as a suitable metric for MOT and in turn, attention resource capacity. As a result, the outcomes indicate that visual tracking capability is positively associated with fluid reasoning intelligence. Consequently, this finding demonstrates that there is a link between fluid reasoning intelligence and MOT capability, especially in conditions of high load (tracking 4 out of 8 targets).
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