Tag Archives: Test

Can Brain Training Games Make You a Better Driver? Allstate Insurance to Test Them : Brain Training

Article by Michael Segers

Do you feel frustrated by the lack of your child’s or students’ progress? Have you spent large sums of money on trainings, products, and programs to help your struggling child or students, but see no great gains from all your efforts? Did you know that differentiating instruction through using brain-based Superlinks learning style methods has proven to help struggling learners from grades pre-K-12 or college in regular or special education, ELL, or those with ADD/ADHD improve in any subject in the shortest possible time? Children who have trouble learning through an auditory lecture approach may be kinesthetic, tactile, or visual learners. Is your child a right-brain learner living in a left-brain world? Are you ready to end your frustration with their learning struggles now? Read on to find out how to get quick solutions to end your frustration with struggling students!Failing Schools Raised Reading Scores on ISAT State Reading Tests (Illinois) and the California Standards Test in Months-Not YearsStudents who used brain-based Superlinks learning styles and brain styles methods increased an average of 2-5 years above their age in reading within six to eight months. Every school or district who used differentiated instruction through Superlinks (the Linksman Learning Style Preference Assessment and the Linksman Brain Hemispheric Preference Assessment) and methods that had previously not met state standards on ISAT reading tests in Illinois or the California Standards Test met or exceeded state standards within six to eight months.Failing Students Went from D’s and F’s to A’s and B’s within a Few WeeksStudents went from D’s and F’s to A’s and B’s within a few weeks. How? They were taught in their best Superlinks (learning style and brain hemispheric preference).As students self-esteem and motivation went up, discipline problems dropped. In-school suspension officer, Mr. Pinnick said, “When students were taught in their best Superlink style we went from a school where students were bouncing off the walls to a school that looked like each class had engaged learners. This included our special education classes. Dscipline problems dropped so dramatically that I grew lonely in my office with hardly any behavior referrals!”88-99% of Students in Special Ed or Who Had ADD or ADHD Reached Grade Level and Beyond in Less than a School YearSpecial Education students and those with ADD or ADHD improved in learning through differentiated instruction using each student’s fastest and best way of learning.Differentiated instruction can be used for RTI whereby interventions save time and money because learning problems get solved quickly and easily.Special Education teachers use differentiated instruction to meet requirements of the students’ IEP’s by teaching in the way their students learned best.ELL Students Can More Quickly Learn to Read EnglishPrincipal Gwendolyn Miller, of Dieterich Elementary School, in East Aurora,stated, “With 83% of our students in ELL classes, we met state standards and scored third highest in our district, using Superlinks learning style and brain hemispheric preference assessments and its teaching and learning techniques.”Differentiated Instruction Raised ACT Scores to Give Students a Competitive Edge for CollegeStudents who have taken ACT test preparation courses improved their scores ten points in reading comprehension within two months using Superlinks learning style and brain hemispheric preference methods of studying.How to Access a Free Checklist of Tips and Have Your Questions Answered on Differentiated Learning

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Can Brain Training Games Make You a Better Driver? Allstate Insurance To Test Them : Brain Training

Article by Alvaro Fernandez

Copyright (c) 2008 SharpBrains

Insurance company Allstate just announced a very intelligent initiative. According to the Chicago Tribune:

-“Allstate, which called the Posit program (brain training games) “potentially the next big breakthrough in automobile safety,” said it expects its software exercises to reduce risky driving maneuvers by up to 40 percent and improve stopping distance by an average of 22 feet when traveling at 55 miles per hour.”

-“We’ll look to see whether over the next six to nine months there will be a reduction in” the number of accidents between the group participating in the video exercises and those sitting out, said Tom Warden, assistant vice president of Allstate’s research and planning center.

Alvaro Fernandez: I am fortunate to interview Tom Warden, Assistant Vice President and Leader of Allstate’s Research and Planning Center, based in Menlo Park, California. Tom, thank you for your time. Can you please explain the context behind this new initiative that you just announced?

Tom Warden: Our research center is constantly looking for new ideas to improve the driving behavior of drivers of all ages. Recently we have paid extra emphasis on ways to improve the safety of older drivers.

Let me provide some background here. Allstate, as a company, has always been one of the pioneers in helping to introduce new safety measures. For example, we were among the pioneers in the 60s to advocate for mandatory use of seating belts, given research studies on the benefits for drivers and passengers alike. More recently, we helped lobby for wider adoption of airbags, an effective but expensive way of protection that only became mainstream when manufacturers were required to include them.

AF: Let’s talk now about your agreement with Posit Science. What will happen over the next months?

TW: The first thing we are doing is to conduct a research study to analyze the real-life impact of Posit Science InSight, a computer-based cognitive training program, on accident rates. We know that as drivers get older, especially in their 70s and beyond, a number of cognitive problems can get in the way of safe driving. We want to see if there is a way to reduce this effect.

We are offering the InSight program for free to over 100,000 auto policy-holders in Pennsylvania aged 50-75, and to some potential clients. We recommend participants to devote at least 10 hours to the training exercises, but of course the more they can devote the better. We will compare the results with a control group.

AF: How will you measure success, and by when will you know if your expectations are met?

TW: Given that we have already started recruiting participants and training may start as soon as next week, we may have some interesting results by the end of March 2009 or perhaps during the summer. In order to have statistically meaningful numbers, we will have to see how many people enroll in the study and the size of the observed impact. We will analyze the program compliance rates since this type of intervention needs to be engaging enough for people to devote a number of hours to at home. But, at the end of the day, what we want to see is whether using the program will translate into lower accident rates and better safety.

AF: Assuming those goals are met, what would be the next steps?

TW: In that case we will have to figure out ways to roll out the program nationwide, perhaps even offering discounts to policy-holders who commit to using the program. We would also engage in public advocacy, share the results, partner with the DMV and other agencies.

But, we have not really contemplated this yet, we need to see the results first.

AF: The InSight program is a pretty specialized program. It does not train all main cognitive skills involved in driving, such as say working memory or divided attention, but focuses mostly on visual processing. Are you conducting some type of independent cognitive assessment to identify who may benefit from that program vs. other options?

TW: No, we are not. We became interested in talking to Posit Science after they acquired Visual Awareness, the company that had developed the Useful Field of View (UFOV) technology. We felt Karlene Ball and her team brought the kind of research that stood up to our standards and held the most promise to meet our needs.

AF: What was the main business case to embark on a pioneering initiative like this?

TW: As I said earlier, Allstate has a long tradition of introducing safety-related measures, and this initiative reflects that commitment. In this case, our objective goes even beyond driver safety: we want to help our clients. We want to contribute to their overall quality of life and protection. We believe that programs like InSight can contribute to better daily functioning and quality of life. We want our clients to have positive feelings towards Allstate and to know we care about them.

AF: A potential concern we have heard in similar cases, where an insurance company offered a computer-based assessment or training program, is Privacy. How can users of InSight who are also Allstate policy holders know that whatever information the program gathers cannot be used against them, for example to deny coverage or increase premiums?

TW: That’s a great question. We are aware of that potential concern, and we are putting processes in place so that Allstate doesn’t get access to any cognitive information on a particular individual. The Posit Science program is gathering the information, and Posit Science will only share data with us at an aggregated level, for overall research purposes. Allstate will be completely blind as to who uses the program.

AF: Any final remarks for our readers to understand the significance of your agreement?

TW: We believe this program has the potential to lower accident rates and improve the quality of life of millions of adults. We are excited to be able to offer it to our policy-holders, to show our commitment to innovation and to their overall protection and well-being. We are hopeful that, if the results are as positive as we believe they can be, interventions like this can become a major new safety benefit, and that it may positively reflect on AllState’s brand and public perception.

AF: Tom, thank you very much for your time. We will be very interested in learning more about the ongoing progress of this initiative.

TW: Thank you.

Alvaro Fernandez is the CEO and Co-Founder of SharpBrains, which reviews resources for brain training such as the Posit Science program. SharpBrains has been recognized by Scientific American Mind, Newsweek, The New York Times, and more. Alvaro holds MA in Education and MBA from Stanford University, and teaches The Science of Brain Health at UC-Berkeley Lifelong Learning Institute. You can learn more at http://www.sharpbrains.com/










Improve Short And Long Term Memory – Eliminate Test Anxiety

Many bright schoolchildren get classroom grades that really do not appear to indicate their intellect. These kids do their schoolwork, work hard in the classroom, but still get lousy test grades. Parents typically misinterpret lousy scores on exams as failure to study and prepare, but this usually is not accurate. Often, test anxiety is a primary reason for low grades.

Young people who experience test anxiety typically study in private until they know the information to be tested backwards and forwards. However, when walking into the classroom and take their seats, their thoughts freeze. They are unable to recall the information that, just before, was clear to them. They experience performance anxiety, and are able to concentrate nothing but the possibility of failure.

Hypnosis to improve memory and recall has been successful in teaching parents assist their children in conquering test anxiety. Usual methods, including self-hypnosis memory improvement, may work well for older children who are not extremely analytical or critical thinkers. These therapies, which can help students to improve memory and recall and lessen their anxiety about testing, are easy to find.

Those children who are inquiring and bright, however, often struggle with using standard types of hypnosis to improve memory and recall. This is because they question ideas and attempt to comprehend techniques including self-hypnosis memory improvement. Such students will frequently benefit much more from complex strategies such as Ericksonian hypnosis or even Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP for test anxiety.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming for test anxiety utilizes a number of basic behaviors to help the brain to perform a complicated job. One of the NLP methods taught to students is a technique called anchoring. Through this process, people are instructed to recall a time when they felt a sense of achievement and positive self-image. As they mentally re-create those emotions, they are instructed to touch two fingers together during the experience of those emotions. This forms an anchor (or trigger) for the emotions.

After the clients have been successful in installing an anchor for self-esteem, they are instructed to visualize themselves taking a test. As they construct this mental picture, they learn to trigger this positive self-image anchor by touching the two fingers together once more. The unconscious then connects the thoughts of positive self-image and achievement to the action of taking a test. The final outcome is that people feel a lot more positive about their capability to take tests, which helps them develop a high anticipation of success. This allows them to feel calm through the testing procedure, so they are able to easily remember information.

Through this process, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and memory recall approaches help students to maximize their focus even in tough circumstances such as test-taking. Neuro-Linguistic Programming for test anxiety allows the client to become calmer and focus on recalling the facts they have learned. This assists them to remember the information that they learned so completely.

An additional option for using Neuro-Linguistic Programming for test anxiety is to teach the “Flash” method. Young people receive instruction on using this method to decrease anxiety and stress. With help, they learn to instruct their mental processes to automatically swap anxiety-producing thoughts for relaxing thoughts. Soon, people who utilize Neuro-Linguistic Programming for test anxiety find that it becomes almost impossible to concentrate on anxiety-producing thoughts because their thoughts automatically flash them away for relaxing ideas instead!

A combination of NLP and memory recall techniques may quite helpful in calming test anxiety, as well as increasing mental recall. Using Neuro-Linguistic Programming for test anxiety, as well as mental recall, encourages children to optimize their capability to recall and absorb more information. This can be very in an age of “information overload.”

In today’s world, people’s lives are attacked routinely with facts from television, radio, websites, family, friends, magazines and newspapers. As students spend their entire days in classrooms, they are even more likely to have this difficulty. Strategies like Neuro-Linguistic Programming for test anxiety are also used to allow them to stay relaxed and manage this deluge of data. NLP and memory improving tools assist them to center on crucial facts, and to recall it instead of the overflow of trivial facts that goes with it.

Young people who are successful in implementing Neuro-Linguistic Programming for test anxiety also benefit from using these strategies for reducing stress and increasing their focus in a number of areas of their lives. For example, NLP and memory tools can assist people to recall names or memorable dates or events. Often, older kids who have tried Neuro-Linguistic Programming for test anxiety relay that these beneficial approaches greatly improve the quality of their career and and family lives as well.

Parents who develop concern about their child’s struggles with test grades and overall educational outcome can consider the effectiveness of Neuro-Linguistic Programming for test anxiety. These strategies are very successful for the majority of bright young people who suffer from this problem. Moreover, concerned parents can utilize NLP and memory recall tools to assist their children prepare more effectively to start their careers.

Summary: Neuro-Linguistic Programming for test anxiety helps young people to focus better and improve test scores. NLP and memory improvement strategies also help people in a variety of other aspects of life, including work and friendship settings. You can search for a local trained NLP Practitioner who can help your child with Neuro-Linguistic Programming for test anxiety. Another method, however, that is considerably less costly and quite as effective to invest in one of the excellent NLP and hypnosis programs currently available on CD.

Alan B. Densky, CH has specialized in the practice of hypnotherapy and NLP since 1978. He offers hypnosis & NLP CD’s to build your concentration. Visit his Neuro-VISION Hypnotherapy site for free resources & MP3 downloads, and his Video Hypnosis Blog for tips & tricks.

Short Term Memory