What specific issue does the 'transfer problem' in cognitive science refer to?
Answer
Improvement on specific in-app tasks not translating to unrelated real-world skills
The 'transfer problem' is a persistent area of scientific debate within cognitive science concerning cognitive training apps. It describes the scenario where a user becomes highly proficient at the precise, specific tasks within the controlled digital environment—for example, tracking moving dots on a screen—but this demonstrable improvement does not reliably translate or generalize to enhanced performance on unrelated, spontaneous, real-world activities, such as better driving skills or superior performance on an external memory test. Skeptics often cite this lack of broad generalization as a major limitation to the commercial claims made by many programs.
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