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Cogmed improves attention
Enhancing Attention: A Training Program for Cognitive Focus
The ability to maintain focused attention is vital for success in school, work, and daily life. Introducing Cogmed, an effective program designed specifically to improve attention.
Engaging Five-Week Digital Training
Benefit from a personalized approach as a professional coach guides you through an interactive series of cognitive exercises for five weeks. Accessible across various devices, such as computers, tablets, or phones, this training requires no pharmaceutical intervention.
Scientifically Supported Effects
Developed by leading neuroscientists, Cogmed has undergone extensive clinical trials and experiments, validating its positive impact on attention and working memory. With over 120 scientific articles published on its findings, Cogmed is a scientifically proven solution.
Get Cogmed for yourself or a family member
Cogmed has already made a significant impact in improving the lives of over 200,000 individuals facing attention deficit, which is a crucial factor in various conditions such as ADHD, stroke and traumatic brain injury, long-term effects of premature birth, and side-effects of cancer treatment. Discover how Cogmed can bring positive changes to you or your loved ones and easily find a provider near you.
Do you or someone in your family relate to these challenges?
Trouble staying focused on what needs to be done
Making careless mistakes, like in schoolwork
Difficulty finishing tasks that involve multiple steps
Struggling to listen or follow instructions
Finding it tough to organize and plan for the future
These are common signs of attention deficit, which is closely linked to below-average working memory capacity.
Based on our experience, it is safe to say that individuals who wholeheartedly commit to the training program will witness a significant improvement in their working memory, attention, and cognitive performance.
How does it work?
With the guidance of a Cogmed Coach, you can personalize your practice to fit your needs and preferences. The options vary from brief 20-minute sessions to more intensive 50-minute sessions.
The training is conducted on a computer, smartphone, or tablet and consists of a series of short exercises that push the boundaries of your working memory. Engaging in the training can be enjoyable, at times even pleasantly challenging.
The exercises are thoughtfully designed to stimulate attention and working memory during the training process. As you improve in an exercise, the level of difficulty gradually increases. The program adjusts to ensure that the training remains at an optimal level of effort.
Overtake 27 Percent of your Peers.
When considering embarking on the Cogmed programme and investing the necessary time and effort, one often wonders what to anticipate – how much will my attention improve? It's an important question, and like all medical treatments, the straightforward answer is "It depends." However, that response alone may not be the most helpful, so let me provide a more elaborate and nuanced explanation.
Cogmed primarily targets your working memory, which is the first area where change will occur. Extensive research studies over the past few decades have demonstrated that five weeks of Cogmed training typically result in an improved working memory capacity of 0.7 standard deviations¹. Understanding the significance of this number may not come intuitively to most, so let's put it into perspective.
Imagine gathering a group of 100 individuals at random and assessing their working memory capabilities. Now, let's sort them based on these measurements, placing small groups with exceptionally high working memory to the far right and equally small groups with very low working memory to the far left. Most people would likely be positioned closer to the middle, as values close to the average are the most common by far.
Now, if we select person number 36 from the left, their working memory would be stronger than 35 individuals and weaker than 64. After guiding them through five weeks of Cogmed working memory training, they are likely to make such significant progress that they can advance to the right, surpassing approximately 27 individuals, and position themselves near the 36th spot from the top! That's a substantial performance leap – moving from the 65th place to the 36th – and that's precisely what 0.7 standard deviations signifies.
¹ A standard deviation measures the spread of data values, so an improvement of 0.7 standard deviations denotes a notable enhancement in working memory capacity.
Upon completing a five-week training course with Cogmed, users typically experience a significant boost in their working memory capacity. This newfound enhancement proves invaluable when engaging in tasks that demand focus and attention, such as studying for exams or conducting detailed analytical work. The positive impact of this training is often more than enough to make it worthwhile for many individuals.
However, this is just the beginning. Extensive research1 has revealed that under the right circumstances, the effects of a single five-week training program gradually extend beyond working memory tasks. From mathematics to reading comprehension, users often enjoy a positive contribution to their overall life satisfaction.
It is important to note that while there is ample evidence of these near and far transfer effects, the specific mechanisms behind them are not yet fully understood by scientists. One key aspect, however, appears to be the presence of positive feedback loops. These loops exist both in the cognitive and emotional aspects of the trainees themselves, as well as in their social environments.
For instance, when a student trains with Cogmed and improves their ability to maintain focus, they are better equipped to perform well on exams. Achieving higher test scores subsequently boosts self-confidence, making the school experience more enjoyable. As a result, students become more motivated to put effort into other school tasks.
Furthermore, the positive changes often catch the attention of people in the student's immediate surroundings. Their reactions lead to adjustments in their behavior and expectations, ultimately reinforcing the student's willingness to exert more effort.
It's important to recognize that each Cogmed trainee is unique, and specific feedback loops may vary. However, even a modest increase in working memory capacity has the potential to propel individuals onto a higher developmental path, with far-reaching and long-lasting effects.
"Your brain is a muscle".
Sometimes you may come across the notion that "your brain is a muscle". Well, it isn't. Your brain surpasses the capabilities of a mere muscle, but it's pretty useless when it comes to lifting heavy objects. However, there are similarities, especially in training. Just as you can strengthen your muscles through exercise, you can also train different parts of your brain, particularly those associated with Working Memory, to enhance your ability to focus - a skill that most people find incredibly valuable. Let's explore seven ways in which working out your body and training your brain share similarities:
True about Working Memory training
● Repeated training of Working Memory
leads to increased capacity
● It only works if you push yourself, and
work on sufficiently hard memory tasks
● A well-designed training program is
needed for the training to be effective at
all
● It is easy to lose interest or motivation,
and drop out of working memory
practice if you don’t have a coach
● Some effects are quick: your ability to
keep information in mind can get
noticeably better after only a few weeks
● Other effects are indirect, but perhaps
more valued: the ability to stay focused for
longer times, better at mental
calculation, faster learning, improved
reading comprehension, better impulse
control, improved self-confidence
True about weight training
● Repeated training leads to muscle growth
● It only works if you push yourself, and lift
sufficiently heavy weights
● A well designed training program leads to
more effect for the same training
● It is easy to lose interest or motivation, and
drop out of gym practice if you don’t have
a personal trainer
● Some effects are quick: the muscles you
exercise can respond and get noticeably
stronger after only a few weeks
● Other effects are indirect, but perhaps
more valued: a better tennis serve, a new
posture, reduced back ache, better sleep,
improved self confidence