Gwakkamole

Name: Gwakkamole
Author: New York University

New York University

CLINICAL GRADE

Studied in clinical trials · Mixed evidence

For:Researchers & AcademicsGeneral Public & EnthusiastsKids & Youth

Free

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App Summary

Gwakkamole is a research-based game designed for adolescents that trains inhibitory control, a core executive function skill, by challenging players to react to specific targets while ignoring distractors. An evaluation (N=96) with adolescents found that younger players benefited more from a speed-focused version of the game, while older adolescents had better outcomes with an accuracy-focused version. The associated research concludes that learning games may be most effective when tailored to an adolescent's specific stage of neurocognitive development.

App Screenshots

Detailed Description

Functionality & Mechanism

Gwakkamole is a cognitive training game developed by New York University's CREATE lab to exercise inhibitory control, a core executive function. The interface employs a go/no-go task paradigm, requiring players to execute rapid motor responses (smashing avocados) for target stimuli while inhibiting responses to non-target stimuli identified by visual cues. Gameplay sessions are designed to provide repeated, targeted practice of this cognitive skill, with system variations that can be configured to prioritize either response speed or accuracy.

Evidence & Research Context

A study of adolescents (N=96) demonstrated that training efficacy is contingent on the game version; younger adolescents showed greater improvement with a speed-focused version, whereas older adolescents benefited more from an accuracy-focused one.
Two experiments conducted with young adults found the game did not significantly improve inhibition scores compared to a control game and was rated lower on measures of engagement and challenge within this population.
In a separate study of college students, playing a suite of executive function training games yielded performance gains on the difficult trials of a transfer task (n-back) but did not result in generalized improvement across all tasks.

Intended Use & Scope

This tool is intended for researchers and educators for the targeted training of inhibitory control, primarily in adolescent populations. Its utility is in providing a gamified environment to exercise a specific cognitive mechanism. The system is not a diagnostic tool or a clinical intervention. Evidence indicates limited effectiveness in young adults, and transfer of skills to broader academic or real-world contexts has not been established.

Studies & Publications

3 publications

Peer-reviewed research associated with this app.

RCT

Learning Cognitive Skills by Playing Video Games at Home: Testing the Specific Transfer of General Skills Theory

Flores-Gallegos et al. (2022) · Journal of Cognitive Enhancement

Showed improvement on difficult attention tasks but not on other cognitive measures.

Can people learn cognitive skills by playing video games at home? In the present study, college students took a pretest consisting of four cognitive tasks and 2 weeks later took a posttest consisting of the same four tasks (i.e., n-back and letter-number tasks tapping executive function skills and mental rotation and multiple object tracking tasks tapping perceptual processing skills). During the 2-week period, students engaged in no game activity, or played designed video games (targeting executive function skills) or an action video game (targeting perceptual processing skills) at home for 6 30-min sessions. The two game groups did not show greater gains than the control group on any of the tasks overall, but the designed game group outperformed the control group on the difficult trials of the n-back task and the action game group outperformed the control group on the difficult trials of the mental rotation tasks. Results provide partial evidence for the specific transfer of general skills theory, and show that the training effects of game playing are focused on skills that are exercised in the game.

Effectiveness/Outcome Study

Limits on Training Inhibitory Control with a Focused Video Game

Wells et al. (2020) · Journal of Cognitive Enhancement

Did not improve inhibition skills and was less engaging than control games.

Gwakkamole is a focused video game designed to train the executive function skill of inhibition in young adolescents and has been shown to be enjoyable and challenging for them. This study examined whether the game was also enjoyable and challenging as well as effective for a different age cohort (i.e., young adults). According to the cognitive theory of game-based training, two essential features of effective games are enjoyment and challenge. Across two experiments, young adults took a battery of executive function tests, played Gwakkamole or a control game for 2 h spread over four sessions within 9 days, and retook the battery of executive function tests along with a self-report survey. Across two experiments, the Gwakkamole group reported lower ratings than the control group on liking the game, exerting effort during playing, feeling motivated during playing, feeling challenged during playing, and wanting to play again; and the groups did not differ significantly on post-test inhibition score (with pre-test inhibition score included as a covariate). Gwakkamole appears to lack the necessary level of challenge and enjoyment for young adult players, which are two essential features for effective games based on the cognitive theory of game-based training.

In the Media

CREATE News

NYU Steinhardt's CREATE program developed Gwakkamole as a free cognitive skills training game, releasing it alongside two other brain training apps on major mobile platforms. The research team announced the launch of "All You Can ET, Gwakkamole, CrushStations" as free downloads available in the AppStore and on Google Play. These games represent the program's effort to make research-based cognitive training accessible to mobile users.

NyuRead article

Professors Create Games to Improve Brain Function

NYU Steinhardt Professor Jan L. Plass and colleagues from New York and California developed Gwakkamole to improve cognitive skills, using research-backed game design that targets executive functions like memory and inhibitory control. "We designed three games to support learners in developing cognitive skills that researchers have identified as essential for success in daily life, executive functions," said Plass. The games successfully improved executive functions after as little as two hours of play and were made available for free following a 4-year research project funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences.

NyuRead article

Professors Create Free Research-Backed Games to Train Your Brain

NYU's Jan L. Plass and colleagues from CUNY and UC Santa Barbara developed Gwakkamole as part of a 4-year research project funded by the U.S. Department of Education to improve cognitive skills through targeted computer games. The researchers discovered that the games successfully improved executive functions after as little as two hours of play and made them available to the general public for free. Plass stated, "We hope these games can help close the gap that this lack of opportunity has created" for families from less affluent communities.

NyuRead article

Professors Create Free Research-Backed Games to Train Your Brain

NYU Steinhardt Professor Jan L. Plass and colleagues from New York and California developed Gwakkamole to improve cognitive skills like memory and inhibitory control, using research-backed digital game design funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences. "Can games actually have positive effects on players? We believe they can, and we designed three games to support learners in developing cognitive skills that researchers have identified as essential for success in daily life, executive functions," said Plass. The researchers discovered that the games successfully improved executive functions after as little as two hours of play and made them available to the public for free.

NyuRead article