Can Braining-Training Programs Raise IQ?

Since the early 2000s, psychologists, educators, and the general public have shown interest in enhancing intelligence through brain-training programs. These programs, which have become increasingly accessible through mobile technology, operate on the premise that practicing the cognitive skills measured by intelligence tests will lead to better problem-solving abilities and higher intelligence scores.

The theory supporting these programs seems reasonable. Everyone employs thinking skills when completing intelligence test items, and individuals with higher intelligence use these skills more effectively. One crucial skill is working memory—a temporary mental storage system that enables people to retain and manipulate information for conscious problem-solving. Since individuals with larger or more efficient working memory consistently score higher on intelligence tests, some researchers hypothesized that enhancing working memory would boost intelligence.

The rationale gains additional support from education, which represents the most proven method for raising IQ. Extended schooling increases intelligence scores, likely because it teaches students how to think critically, solve problems, and apply information effectively. This suggests that focused interventions targeting these same skills might achieve similar results without requiring years of formal education.

Brain-training programs undeniably improve performance on the specific tasks users practice. They also produce improvements on similar tasks, a phenomenon termed "near transfer." However, these programs depend on either "far transfer" (where training on one task improves performance on unrelated tasks) or the development of general abilities like intelligence that apply broadly across different domains.

The evidence clearly demonstrates that brain-training interventions produce neither far transfer nor general skill enhancement. A comprehensive review of 87 working memory training studies concluded that "there is no good evidence that working memory training improves intelligence test scores or other measures of 'real-world' cognitive skills." Research showing substantial IQ gains from brain training typically suffers from poor design quality; better-designed studies consistently fail to demonstrate far transfer or general training effects.

Studies claiming large IQ improvements often have serious methodological flaws, including small sample sizes, absent control groups, no follow-up assessments for fadeout, and no examination of real-world cognitive improvements beyond test scores. Some research even shows negative correlations between improvement on training tasks and IQ gains—the opposite of what would be expected if the training genuinely enhanced intelligence.

The failure of brain-training programs resulted in legal consequences for Lumos Labs, creator of Lumosity. The company faced a $2 million fine for unsubstantiated claims that their program could improve academic or work performance, alleviate mental health symptoms, and reverse cognitive decline. The Federal Trade Commission noted that while playing these games might improve performance on the games themselves, this doesn't translate to enhanced memory or cognitive abilities in real-world contexts.

Brain training's failure to raise intelligence stems from how cognitive abilities relate to each other. Leading theories suggest that general intelligence causes performance on specific tasks, not the reverse. Training people on specific tasks therefore cannot improve general intelligence because those tasks don't causally influence intelligence levels. This failure has actually provided evidence that general intelligence operates largely independently of explicit training.

While these findings may seem discouraging, they don't prove that raising intelligence is impossible—only that current knowledge and technology haven't identified effective methods for people already living in beneficial environments. However, the public should remain highly skeptical of claims that temporary training programs can permanently raise intelligence by significant amounts, given the realities of fadeout and the substantial environmental changes typically required to produce meaningful IQ gains.





From Chapter 16 of "In the Know: Debunking 35 Myths About Human Intelligence" by Dr. Russell Warne (2020)