DIGITAL assistants such as Siri and Cortana are increasingly common on phones and computers. Most are designed to give their users the impression that a humanlike intelligence lies behind the program’s friendly voice. It does not, of course. But dozens of experiments over the years have shown that people readily More
Humanlike virtual assistants may deter some people from seeking help on tasks that are supposed to measure achievement. More
A scientific review puts the claims behind brain-training games and apps to the test. More
The Conversation: You’ve probably heard of “brain training exercises” – puzzles, tasks and drills which claim to keep you mentally agile. Maybe, especially if you’re an older person, you’ve even bought the book, or the app, in the hope of staving off mental decline. The idea of brain training has More
The Washington Post: Spend enough time playing “brain-training” games, and you’ll get pretty good at games. But you won’t necessarily get better at anything else. That’s the conclusion of an extensive review published in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest this week. A team of psychologists scoured the scientific More
Scrolling through apps on a smartphone might actually sap cognitive resources rather than restoring them during breaks. More
