Saving Memo

Name: Saving Memo
Author: University of California, Riverside

University of California, Riverside

DOCUMENTED

Published in academic literature

For:General Public & Enthusiasts

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App Summary

Saving Memo is a cognitive training game designed for the general public to challenge working memory through a series of engaging, real-world-style tasks. The app is grounded in research on perceptual learning, where an integrative, game-based approach demonstrated broad-based benefits to cognitive function in a real-world context. The associated research concludes that such game-based training holds potential for producing general improvements in cognitive abilities that translate to real-world performance.

App Screenshots

Detailed Description

Functionality & Mechanism

Saving Memo is a gamified assessment platform that measures working memory through a series of cognitive challenges. The system presents tasks framed as different 'jobs' within a game narrative where a character works to feed a cat. Each job module is structured to challenge specific components of working memory. Task performance, based on recall accuracy and speed, directly influences progress within the game, providing a dynamic and engaging measure of cognitive function in real-world-simulated scenarios.

Evidence & Research Context

The app's design is informed by research into perceptual learning, which seeks to generate broad-based cognitive benefits through targeted, gamified training.
Associated research outlines an integrative approach, combining multiple learning principles into a video game format to enhance the generality of training effects beyond specific tasks.
A prototype game developed using this framework demonstrated broad-based benefits to vision and real-world performance improvements in a cohort of baseball players.
The authors characterize this as a promising but early-stage field of research, highlighting the potential of leveraging game mechanics for cognitive science.

Intended Use & Scope

This application is intended for researchers collecting data on working memory performance and for individuals interested in cognitive self-assessment through a gamified interface. Its primary utility is to measure cognitive function within an engaging context. The tool is not a clinical diagnostic instrument and does not substitute for formal neuropsychological evaluation by a qualified professional.

Studies & Publications

1 publication

Peer-reviewed research associated with this app.

Non-Evaluative Reference

The Promise of Brain Training Games; Applying Perceptual Learning to produce broad-based benefits to vision

Seitz et al. (2019) · Journal of Vision

Referenced in academic literature; no direct evaluation of the app

Imagine if you could see better, hear better, have improved memory, and even become more intelligent through simple training done on your own computer, smartphone, or tablet. Just as physical fitness underwent a revolution in the 20th century, brain fitness is being transformed through innovations in psychology, neuroscience and computer science. This talk discusses recent research that begins to unlock this potential in the context of training vision. Research in the field of perceptual learning has demonstrated that vision can be improved in both normally seeing and visually impaired individuals, however, a limitation of most perceptual learning approaches is their emphasis on simplicity. In the present research, we adopted an integrative approach where the goal is not to achieve highly specific learning but instead to achieve general improvements to vision. We combined multiple perceptual learning approaches that have individually contributed to increasing the speed, magnitude and generality of learning into a perceptual-learning based video-game. Our results demonstrate broad-based benefits of vision and real world on-field benefits in baseball players. I discuss both the exciting potential of the approach and limitations associated with the young stage of the field.

In the Media

Who benefits from brain training and why?

UC Riverside and UC Irvine researchers conducted three randomized control trials with nearly 500 participants to understand who benefits from brain training apps and why. The study found that "some people do very well in training, such as playing a video game, but they don't show near transfer perhaps because they are using highly specific strategies," according to first author Anja Pahor. The research demonstrates that people who show improvement on similar untrained tasks are more likely to experience broader cognitive benefits in daily activities.

UcrRead article

Brain Games, with Dr. Susanne Jaeggi and Dr. Aaron Seitz

Dr. Susanne Jaeggi and Dr. Aaron Seitz from UC Riverside and UC Irvine developed brain training apps to improve cognitive skills and working memory, particularly in older adults, through their nationwide study of brain game effectiveness. Seitz notes that while there's evidence off-the-shelf video games can improve brain functions, "we don't know that they do work consistently or for whom." The researchers are conducting this study amid a $1.9 billion brain training app market to determine the scientific validity of these cognitive enhancement tools.

ThisisyourbrainRead article

Nationwide project seeks to understand how brain exercises produce cognitive benefits

UC Riverside's Brain Game Center developed Saving Memo as part of a nationwide project to understand how memory training produces cognitive benefits, aiming to engage 30,000 people in different variants of memory training. "We want to understand which training approaches lead to what types of benefits in different individuals," said Aaron Seitz, director of the Brain Game Center and professor of psychology. The National Institute of Mental Health-funded project seeks to determine personalized cognitive training methods and resolve scientific controversies surrounding brain exercise effectiveness.

UcrRead article

Speaking of Psychology: Can "brain training" games sharpen your mental skills? With Aaron Seitz, PhD

Dr. Aaron Seitz at the University of California, Riverside developed brain training research through the university's Brain Game Center to address whether cognitive games can genuinely improve mental skills like memory, vision, and hearing. Seitz believes that brain training research "does hold promise for developing games that can help people, including older adults who want to keep their memory sharp and athletes who want to improve their performance." His work aims to distinguish scientifically-backed cognitive training from the hundreds of unproven brain game apps flooding app stores.

ApaRead article