Attention or memory exercises: choose by the task

Describe the action you want to practise

Replace “I want a better brain” with a concrete action: notice a target among distractions, retain a short sequence or update information while new items arrive. This makes exercise selection easier and gives you a way to explain errors. A difficult workday alone does not tell you which cognitive process caused the difficulty; avoid diagnosing yourself from an anecdote.

Attention tasks ask you to select or track

In a selection task, the challenge may be identifying the relevant signal while ignoring competing information. In a tracking task, it may be maintaining attention on moving targets. Read the response rule before starting. If you press for every conspicuous item when only one category counts, the result mainly reveals a misunderstood rule, not a useful training baseline.

Memory tasks ask you to retain or update

A sequence task asks you to keep information available; an updating task asks you to replace older information as the stream changes. For example, an n-back response depends on a specific earlier turn, not mere familiarity. Check whether order matters and whether visual and auditory signals are judged independently. These details determine what a correct response means.

Expect overlap between tasks

Memory exercises also require attention to the incoming items, and attention exercises can require remembering instructions. The labels identify demands rather than isolated brain compartments. If you keep losing the rule, practise a short example first. If you know the rule but miss fast signals, consider an easier available level instead of switching categories after a single low score.

Compare sessions under similar conditions

Use the same exercise and settings when checking change. Note interruptions, unusual fatigue and whether you favoured speed over accuracy. A higher score after learning the controls is meaningful familiarity, but it does not establish improved everyday concentration. Look at both errors and response time where available, and change one practice variable at a time so comparisons remain interpretable.

Use the app’s evidence labels critically

MindBuilding’s publisher describes exercise goals and evidence levels from A to D, with study links. We publish this guide and the app, so this is not an independent endorsement. Read what each study measured before extending its conclusions. Research supports gains on trained tasks more strongly than broad everyday transfer; neither the exercise label nor its score diagnoses a condition or measures IQ.

Further reading

• Simons et al.: Do Brain-Training Programs Work?
• MindBuilding: publisher feature description