Working memory training - Here's a game and feel free to share your ideas!

[possibilities]

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share something I train on to improve my working memory, by far the best thing I've ever trained on. I've had a lot of ADHD related problems in the past but what I truly find is that the more I train on this the less those symptoms emerge.

I wouldn't be mentioning it if I didn't think it worked.

For me it doesn't even take much before I start seeing results, maybe a few days of training for about an hour. If you have an iPad you can just put the device on top of a treadmill and walk at the same time, at least after you've learned how to play!

http://competicionmental.appspot.com/router?page=rfnback&en=1#

If you're interested in learning about how I play the game to get the gains that I think I get just comment here and I can begin to teach you!

If you truly devote yourself you won't regret it, the benefits I get are second to none.

There's been this n-back game advertised in the past, let me tell you, for me its way better than that over the long term.

Feel free to discuss any other ideas you have on the subject, its one that undoubtedly has a lot of positive implications for people if there's something that works as opposed to just being mere placebo. I've trained on and off this thing for quite some time now, I'm generally extremely cautious making recommendations like this so I guarantee you this is coming from a good thought out place .

[possibilities]

I really want others to benefit from it in the way I have so I'll just explain it so you don't feel embarrassed or anything like that about asking, of which you'd have no need to! Its comparable to physical exercise so there's really no need to feel any shame/related around this topic

Here's a description I shared elsewhere

Hey _______ I hope you're doing well, firstly its my recommendation to read this whole comment to understand everything clearly. Without utilising the described way of interacting with the game its my belief that benefits would be vastly inferior:

INSTRUCTION VIDEO - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVx_J7ECm9Y&feature=youtu.be

I've decided to instead share a working memory game I think has enormous value, on that note because you might notice the resemblance to n-back if you're aware of that game know that its much superior, that traditional n-back does not at all really enhance ones relational working memory as I will briefly describe and as you will come to understand if you choose to train on it. If you're not familiar with n-back, its important to checkout the instructional video listed in the description box along with the link to the recommended game.

One aspect I haven't described in the video is the way that I engage with the game, I will do so in this comment.

Once you've familiarised yourself with how to play the game here's how I think someone would get the most benefit out of it and it has to do with how they interact with the symbols.

Now you can change this according to the kind of areas of the brain you might wish to stimulate, for example because I'm involved in music I imagine musical rhythms but if you're an engineer you might wish to imagine various spatial geometries, mechanics, etc. My rule of thumb here is the more the stimulus is, the better.

Okay now the method - extremely important to follow as noted:

1. Firstly, see the words presented as symbols that you will associate meaning to

2. Create a meaning in your mind about what the symbols mean, for example as I stated I'm into music so what I'd do is imagine a drum beat with a certain rhythm for one of the relations (which is one of the words) and let's say the next relation said "opposite" then I could interpret that in a number of ways where my chosen interpretation would describe the quality of the stimulus produced.

For example, I could do a number of different things with a drum beat (with a certain rhythm) in the context of "OPPOSITE", I could imagine (1) an opposing drum beat (2) or something that I imagined at the time as being the opposite to a drum beat, like a piano or even just a person screaming. Any number of things could be comparably the "OPPOSITE" to a drum beat, including as it pertains to something that was oppositional to the quality of the drum beat produced. Otherwise one last thing here, novelty is extremely important when it comes to keeping those flexible regions of then mind continuously engaged, don't just dial up the same stimuli every session, that'll lessen the potential growth. Meaning continuously work to generate new associations, so if you're working with sounds or whatever (i.e. visual) make sure those sounds are different, even strange weird sounds you've never even imagined before get loose and creative!

3. Now every time you see that relation in the context of the n-level make sure you remember the association that you initially made with the stimulus. For example, if you imagined a trumpet playing a certain kind of tune for the word "milk" then the next time "milk" was presented you would then remember to associate the exact same tune you were playing before with the trumpet.

And that's literally all there is to it, its probably one of if not the best ways I've come across to reliably improve my relational working memory.

Now that I've come to the realisation that it really does work after over a year now of on and off training, I'm going to commit to at least an hour on the treadmill with my iPad sitting on top where I walk and play simultaneously.

After just a few days of training in the way I've described you will notice changes beyond the placebo effect. Experiment yourself, don't play the game after you notice improvements to test to see if it really works and when you objectively notice things aren't as good as they were you'll have a similar validation of the method as I do now. The difference being is that I've gone back and fourth like that a number of times now and have anecdotally documented my own changes and corresponding weaknesses (ADHD related) that ameliorated.

As for my pattern streaming, I still need to think about things more to get a proper handle. To me working memory training is more important to me without which training on the method I've created would be much less effective given its stimulus dependent. Stimulus dependent here means that the effectiveness with which you can even apply the technique and reap benefits ultimately depends on the capacity to hold stimuli in the mind, thus training working memory first in the way I've described here I believe would likely prove to be a more effective means of installing the right hardware before you engage with this method.

In so saying as much, I will still however share my method in the coming weeks in fact it seems like you already have a pretty good working memory so you might like to entertain interest in the briefly described version here (https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-exercises-to-build-courage/answer/Florence-Rivers - also perhaps your okay with not having to include the memory component up to you) in the context of beliefs and emotions because as I stated, I do believe its a de-programming tool because we become much more aware of our own patterns and in doing so, have a greater capacity to transform and recondition our state outside our regular norm. I'm generally just very tentative about my own conclusions about things so I want to make sure that if I'm sharing I'm doing so from the most informed perspective I can achieve at the time of sharing.

Peace out

 

 

Edited August 23, 2019 by possibilities

[possibilities]

I forgot one important thing!

As edited above:

"Otherwise one last thing here, novelty is extremely important when it comes to keeping those flexible regions of then mind continuously engaged, don't just dial up the same stimuli every session, that'll lessen the potential growth. Meaning continuously work to generate new associations, so if you're working with sounds or whatever (i.e. visual) make sure those sounds are different, even strange weird sounds you've never even imagined before get loose and creative!"

If anyone has any further questions I'd be more than happy to be of service.

Edited August 23, 2019 by possibilities