Jaeggi and Buschkuehl’s research found that only individuals who improved significantly in a training task also experienced transfer on a measure of fluid intelligence. Such training improvements, which are a useful proxy for cognitive plasticity, can fluctuate widely from individual to individual. Unfortunately, the factors underlying these individual differences are not widely known. A great deal of training data, coupled with demographic data such as gender, age, and education, is required to begin approaching an answer. Fortunately, Lumosity scientists can draw on the world’s largest database of human cognitive performance and begin to answer this difficult question.

On September 20th, 2011, researchers from Lumos Labs did just that when they presented findings from a study of the influence of age, gender, and education on cognitive plasticity at the Entertainment Software and Cognitive Neurotherapeutics Society (ESCoNS) Meeting in San Francisco. By examining training improvements in over 86,000 individuals who played Word Bubbles at least 25 times, Lumos Labs scientists were able to identify differences in baseline performance — as well as differences in gains from training — between demographic groups.

Their results are of interest to anyone wondering how much they stand to improve through training. Most importantly, all groups were able to improve significantly after practicing Word Bubbles. However, there were significant differences in the total amount of improvement  between users different of ages, genders, and education levels. For example, although individuals in their 20s and individuals in their 30s started with similar baseline performance, individuals in their 20s experienced larger training gains.

These findings have important implications for both the research community and individual Lumosity users. For researchers, the data should spark new questions about why individuals in different groups experienced differences in training gains — and whether those differences could be equalized through a more targeted training program. For Lumosity users, who are as diverse demographically and geographically as the 86,000 individuals examined in the study, it means that Lumos Labs is studying these results closely in order to craft the most effective and most personalized cognitive training possible.

And remember, all our research starts with the 300+ million data points gathered from user activity on Lumosity.com! Start training to contribute to our large-scale efforts to make Lumosity training the best and brightest it can be.

The research, conducted by Lumos Labs scientists, examined the degree to which various Lumosity cognitive training exercises transferred to improvements on standard assessments of cognitive ability. The assessments, modeled on those widely used in the clinical and research communities, were different from the training exercises and were designed to measure the efficiency of participants’ core cognitive abilities. In a general linear model analysis including data from over 1,400 individuals, cognitive training with Lumosity was associated with statistically significant improvements on all 3 untrained assessments of cognitive performance included in this analysis. Researchers found that individuals who did more training saw greater improvements on the assessments. These relationships held even when initial performance level and practice effects on tests were controlled for.

These results were based on Lumosity’s database of cognitive training and assessment performance. With over 300 million results amassed from the activities of almost 6 million monthly users, Lumosity currently has the world’s largest database of human cognitive performance.

Lumos Labs researchers, however, weren’t content to simply sit on their findings: they took the analysis a step further. They were able to predict which exercises would have the greatest impact on which outcome measures. These new findings will help Lumos Labs improve Lumosity and make it even more efficient at achieving desired cognitive benefits. In short, the data that we collect from you, the user, is going straight back to improve your Lumosity experience. Thanks for helping us gather important data about how well Lumosity works—training today will improve your mind, but also improve our ability to help you.