What criticism related to skills learned in commercial games failing to apply to real-world scenarios was frequently leveled against many programs?
Lack of far transfer
A severe lack of far transfer constituted one of the most common and potent criticisms directed at commercial brain fitness programs by independent researchers. Far transfer describes the phenomenon where skills learned in one context (like a specific game subtest) genuinely and durably improve performance on tasks entirely unrelated to the original training material or general, real-world scenarios. Critics argued that many products were merely training users to become proficient at taking the specific tests within the game environment itself, rather than fostering a truly smarter or more capable general intellect. This distinction between mastering a specific, narrow drill and achieving broad cognitive enhancement highlights the tension between commercial marketing claims and scientific standards for demonstrable benefits.
