Would you like to have a better memory?

What about improved eyesight or sharper hearing?

The Apple and Google Play app stores are a testament to people's desire for self-improvement.

A search for brain games turns up hundreds of apps that promise to exercise your mind and sharpen your mental skills.

But do any of these games deliver on those promises?

The field of brain training has attracted controversy as commercial companies heavily market brain training products that aren't necessarily backed by science.

Still, many psychological scientists believe that brain training research does hold promise for developing games that can help people,

including older adults who want to keep their memory sharp, and athletes who want to improve

their performance, for example. So what is the state of that research now? Are there games

available today that could really give your brain a boost? Welcome to Speaking of Psychology,

the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association that examines the links between psychological science and everyday life.

I'm Kim Mills.

If you enjoy speaking of psychology, you might want to check out some of the sessions at APA's

virtual 2020 convention. You can get unlimited access to check out some of the sessions at APA's virtual 2020 convention.

You can get unlimited access to hundreds of videos about the latest in psychology for just one low price by

registering for access to APA's 2020 virtual convention.

Start with some of our selected videos featuring psychology's biggest names, discussing hop topics such as COVID-19, racism, and

stigma, or use our on-demand library to explore any psychological topic.

Go to convention.apa.org slash podcast. That's convention.a.a.org slash podcast.

Our guest today is Dr. Aaron Sites, a professor of psychology at the University of California

Riverside and director of the university's brain game center.

He and his colleagues research, test, and develop science-based games that aim to improve

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