Cognitive Design

The February issue of Seed Magazine has five stories of interest to cognitive designers including articles on a statistical theory of mind, using neurofeedback to enhance cognition and the application of behavioral economics to formulating policies to fight poverty. On top of that there are stories on the relationship between design and science and the need to go beyond gut feeling for good decision making.

Unfortunately, you cannot access the material without paying (online or at the newsstand). I will blog on a little longer than usual so you can decide if the issue is worth buying. 

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The Vancouver Sun has an interesting article on Brain Gyms a New Industry.  They speak literally not figuratively about Gyms.  Fitness centers for the brain, structured like those that we have for the body, are starting to pop up! 

 The article highlights vibrantBrains  a firm offering, among other things, memberships in a Neurobics Circuit Training that includes:

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SharpBrains, a leader in the emerging field of cognitive training published an interest report in 2008 on the Top 10 Brain Training Future Trends.  The report predicts we will see brain training emerge in physical exercise, corporate wellness and leadership programs.  

In other words, functionality that creates brain boosting effects (e.g. improved focus, memory, visual acuity, creativity) will begin to emerge in the design of other products and programs.  This is an important trend for cognitive designers. 

For example, would customers be interested in an organizer or reminder systems that not only helps them remember things but at the same time makes their memory stronger?  How about employees, would they see “cognitive enhancement” as a valuable perk or benefit?  

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Self regulation includes the automatic and conscious mental processes we use to manage our emotions, drive states (hungry, thirst, need for sleep, sexual urges), cravings and thoughts in order to control behavior and reach a goal.  Self regulation is fundamental for success especially when we need to make and sustain behavior change. 

Designing programs, products and services that help people make behavior change is big business and it requires deep insight into the cognition of self-regulation if it is to be done effectively.  

Recent research from the University of Miami  sheds some new light on the issue by suggesting that religion may have developed, at least in part, because of it ability to help people exercise self control.  

But why would the religious be more inclined to self control?

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A recent news article on a brain scanning study at UCLA suggests that using Google to search the web may in fact be great exercise for your brain.  They looked at a brain reading a book (below to the left) and then using Google to search the web (below to the right).

[Source: Dr. Gary Small, UCLA via the San Francisco Chronicle] 

 Clearly additional stimulation while Googling.   Perhaps it is not surprising that active search requires more mental energy than passive reading but there are still important implications for cognitive designers.  

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Earlier this year I reserved a couple of EmotivEPOC systems, the world’s first brain-computer interface built for consumer use.  If the technology works reliably we will have an important new tool for cognitive design.  The system is both a platform for developing  products that directly incorporate cognition as well as a modeling tool for uncovering how people are thinking and feeling under a variety of conditions.

I was hoping to have them for Christmas but that seems unlikely.  Working with students I already have a pipeline of product designs to prototype and experiments to run.

 I did find an interesting in-depth article on the company, technology and founders in Inc. magazine titled Reality Bites.   Tech giants, IBM and Intel, are eyeing the technology.

 ”Some powerful partners have come on board. IBM (NYSE:IBM) is working with Emotiv to develop a corporate version of the headset that would allow, for example, virtual conferencing with avatars that represent people’s expressions and feelings — so you would know who was engaged, who was bored, who was laughing at your jokes, and, maybe, who was pretending to laugh.”

“Based on our considerations, we call for a presumption that mentally competent adults should be able to engage in cognitive enhancement using drugs.”

Or so argue seven highly credentialed scholars in their commentary in the prestigious journal Nature, titled, Towards the Responsible Use of Cognition-Enhancing Drugs by the Health.

Using prescription-only drugs such as Adderall or Ritalin, or entirely new drugs, to boost brain power would certainly provide a powerful new tool for cognitive designers or anyone interested in improving cognition.  Check out their argument in the article and let me know what you think.  Nature has also set up a public Forum for you to provide a personal answer to:

Should we use drugs to enhance cognitive performance?

Allstate Insurance and Posit Science, the cognitive training company, have teamed up to see if brain training can be used to decrease accidents in drivers 50 and over.

They hope to improve the visual processing skills that are important for driving safety and have kicked off a pilot program in Pennsylvania.

For more info see the press release, Protecting Pennsylvania Drivers One Brain at a Time or an interview with Tom Warden the leader of Allstate’s Research Center.

Cognitive training programs for improving the control, intensity and duration of conscious attention are being introduced into the classroom.   For more read this excellent post by Maggie Jackson  in the Boston Globe.

 Most important for cognitive designers is that these training programs are based on new insights into how the mind works:

 ”After decades of research powered by fresh advances in neuroimaging and genetics, many scientists are drawing a much clearer picture of attention, which they have come to see as an organ system like circulation or digestion, with its own anatomy, circuitry, and chemistry. Building upon this new understanding, researchers are discovering that skills of focus can be bolstered with practice in both children and adults, including those with attention-deficit disorders. ” 

Many applications in cognitive design involve “juicing up” existing artifacts so that they have greater sensorial, affective, mental or psychological impact. Rarely do we get the chance to design artifacts whose sole purpose is to enhance and support cognition. An example of a “pure play” cognitive design is the rapidly growing area of brain training. These programs and devices aim to improve the memory, attention, perception and other cognitive functions (for aging baby boomers) by engaging us in simple and repetitious mental exercises.

The marketing is growing. According to experts at the Emerging Brain Fitness Software Market: Building Better Brains, the  US market in 2007 was $225M, over twice what it was in 2005.    The leading vendor, Nintendo has shipped some 15 million units of its popular Brain Age and Brain Training games.

There is evidence that some BUT NOT ALL of the programs do in fact produce short-term improvements after weeks of training.  However claims of longer term overall “brain health” improvements are still circumstantial.

Brain training promises to be a real proving ground for cognitve designers. We will track the developments closely in this blog.