When assessing a new brain game, what does the 'Specificity Check' in the consumer checklist primarily require the user to determine?
If this game targets a skill the user actually wants to improve or just one that is fun to measure
The Specificity Check is the first step in a suggested consumer checklist designed to help individuals assess potential value in commercial cognitive tools. This check mandates introspection regarding the specific cognitive domain the exercise targets versus the user's genuine objective. For example, if a user is concerned about improving their ability to focus during long meetings (sustained attention), they should determine if the game is specifically training that skill, rather than just measuring something easily quantifiable and enjoyable, like simple number recall. The goal is to align the effort expended with a desired, targeted functional improvement rather than merely engaging with a metric that is easy or fun to track.
