SUMMARY

The article, The Science Behind Lumosity, version 2, details the ongoing work and research of Lumos

Labs, where the web-based brain games and exercises, known as Lumosity, were developed under the

direction of the Human Cognition Project and LEAP, Lumosity’s Education Access Program (Hardy, Farzin

& Scanlon, 2013). This project, also known as HCP, is responsible for the development of the games as

well as the extensive research that has repeatedly shown that the use of the games enhances the brain

to increase in its cognitive ability. Subjects who have participated in the games and the study are all

kinds of people, and studies have consistently shown that the brain-training offered through Lumosity is

a scientifically designed personalized program (through Lumos Labs) that aims at training cognitive

processes such as memory, attention, speed, flexibility, and problem solving. Lumosity has been used in

diverse populations including healthy adults, school-age children, and those who have emotional,

psychological, and physical concerns such as cancer patients, schizophrenic patients, patients suffering

from post-traumatic stress disorder, and those who have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD (p. 17).

Findings/rationale. The authors outline how the utilization of personalized exercises offered in

Lumosity have an effect on the neuroplasticity property of the brain. According to Hardy, Farzin, and

Scanlon, this property is defined as the brain’s ability to actually ‘reorganize itself’ (p.2) in response to

new situations or changes in its environment (throughout life). The reorganization involves the forming

of new neural pathways to accomplish a needed function. The brain forms new neural connections

which become beneficial by being correctly stimulated through activity. Therefore, in comparing brain

scans taken before and after the exercises, the results show that changes occur in brain function.

Repeatedly those conducting the studies have found increased activation in the brain regions that are

associated with executive function (such as cognitive flexibility, decision-making, planning, problem-

solving, inhibiting inappropriate responses, and memory skills) and number skills as well (p. 15). These

findings, the authors claim, completely discredit the prior belief that essential aspects of cognition were

fixed from a child’s early age when a brief period of brain development took place. After this growth,

the child’s brain had little to no chance of improvement, so it was thought that strong cognitive

capacities were largely determined by the child’s genetics and stimulating experiences in early

development. The breakthroughs revealed by Lumos Labs have completely changed the way these

theories are now viewed.

Common structures. The article details some of the exercises offered through the lumosity.com site,

each of which targets a specific skill to be developed and practiced so that the user can transfer the

benefit to a variety of real world contexts. Some games featured are: Lost in Migration (targeting visual

attention and response inhibition), Memory Matrix (targeting spatial short-term memory), and Speed

Match (targeting speed of visual processing). Real world ‘transfers’ – the ability to use the trained skills

and mental mastery in novel situations and similar tasks (p. 9) – include quick decision-making based on

a stream of visual information while driving, working at a job, or playing sports. Assessments created by

Lumos known as the Brain Performance Test (BPT) were given to the Lumosity and control group

subjects (non-Lumosity participants) both before and after the brain-training sessions. Repeatedly it

was shown that improvement on the BPT grew and was directly correlated to the amount of Lumosity

training received. This common result held true of participants of any age and any specific group

(children, adult, and subjects of emotional, physical, or psychological concerns). Encouraging, consistent

results have promoted researchers to broaden their studies to include more varieties of subjects and

targeted skills, and an access to the largest cognitive database presently known.

Benefits/future goals/implications. The promising consistent results from this ongoing study have

proven that Lumosity training can have wide-ranging impacts in cognitive performance throughout a

lifetime, regardless of when the person started training. Because of this finding, Lumos Labs has

expanded its scope to support research by making Lumosity and its follow-up assessment and analysis

tools available to ongoing independent research studies. Those using the Lumosity products include

studies conducted on the aging, traumatic brain injury patients, stroke victims, and those in exercise

programs. Lastly, through LEAP, classrooms worldwide have received free access to Lumosity in an

effort to aid educators in discovering the impact of the product’s exercises on strengthening core

cognitive skills that could promote academic improvements for students in their everyday endeavors in

the classroom.

REACTION

After reading the article with such a volume of positive evidence for the effectiveness of such an

innovative tool, I was eager to try the games myself, so I did sign up on lumosity.com and tried an

exercise. It was the Speed Match game and it was quick, challenging and a little frightening since I am

not use to online gaming. However, I did fine and I hope to continue with the program specifically

designed for me on Lumosity. I needed to experience ‘the product’ in order to appreciate and better

understand what the article was conveying. Since the experience and the reading, I am completely

mesmerized about the article’s claim that the brain can be trained while possessing the ability to

reorganize and adapt to new situations by forming new neural pathways. I find this simply amazing –

the fact that we now can design specific, personalized strategies to get the brain to do this task makes

me believe that we can help so many people with so many difficulties and in so many fields of study,

including education, psychology, psychiatry, medicine, and criminology (to name a few). Since we are

attempting to aid the brain in ‘healing or mending’ some aspect of our being, it makes sense to welcome

such a project that is proven effective as a major breakthrough for our time. The possibilities seem

limitless as the HCP continues to research and perfect its tool, assessment, and analysis.

RELEVANCE TO CAREER

I have claimed to be a very traditional-style educator. I even had some difficulty accepting the

graphing calculator as part of my course routine, but once I saw the benefits it gave to enhancing

understanding and expanding topics beyond the very basic, I knew the tool was invaluable to offering

students a better insight into material being presented. A similar belief is offered here for the Lumosity

exercises: can the product be developed so specifically to address the needs of the learner at each level

of his/her educational years? If so, can we imagine the results? Would we then have students who can

better adjust to challenges – students whose attention span, preparedness, perseverance, confidence,

and willingness to cooperate have all been trained to cope with the demands of a rigorous curriculum?

If the HCP could accomplish such a task, then we as educators could only marvel over the results.

Students and parents alike would have a more productive and satisfying school year filled with successes

and personal advancements as the curriculum and the offerings of Lumosity are blended to aid students

in becoming confident, independent learners. A little idealistic, but if we don’t take the initiative to

implement programs that have proven effective in so many ways, then we are only short-changing our

students and denying them an opportunity to enjoy success. Therefore, I believe every educator’s

career can only be affected positively by implementing a tool such as this.

Reference

Hardy, J., Farzin, F., & Scanlon, M. (2013). The science behind Lumosity, version 2. San

Francisco, CA: Lumos Labs.