Open University. UK: A
new research-focused psychology app, from The Open University (OU) and
recruitment leaders Reed, will test just how well your brain performs at
different times of the day.
The free Brainwave app – part of a wide-ranging OU research project
focused on cognitive performance – is now available for download to
mobile and tablet devices.
By playing five games, developed from the latest psychology research,
users will build a picture of how their cognitive functions perform
throughout the day. The outcome will ultimately answer the age-old
question of whether users are “early birds” or “night owls”. Users will
be encouraged to play the games at various times of the day to see how
performance varies. Personal scores, presented as a graph or
‘Brainwave’, will show users when exactly it is that they perform at
their best.
All game scores will remain anonymous and will be sent to researchers
at the OU who will analyse the data to see how everyday rhythms, and
the time of day, affect how the games are played by individuals and how
this affects brain performance. The app will also assess how mood
impacts on performance. In addition, by providing information on sleep
habits, this will help the team to analyse the brain’s functions at
different times of the day, linking to Circadian rhythms.
The project is being led Dr Darren Langdridge, Dr Martin Thirkettle
and Professor Graham Pike. It will have access to a wealth of anonymous
data to assess variations across all sections of society, as well as the
impact of mood on brainpower and performance.
Dr Thirkettle, said: “This is set to be fascinating for both us and
the user. For example, knowing that you’re at your sharpest during
mid-morning might change the way you plan your work for the day or
schedule job interviews. Capturing Big Data is vital to enable our
research to be far more representative; in terms of having information
that covers as wide a range of participants as possible. As well as
that, for the game player it’s a lot of fun and definitely one to
share!”
Professor Tim Blackman, Acting Vice-Chancellor of The Open
University, said: “Apps are a fantastic way of tracking your daily
habits and making improvements in life. The Brainwave App can help users
determine when they perform best and will also enable our researchers
to pool that anonymous data for research purposes.”
The Brainwave App began as an original idea by Sir Alec Reed in
conversation with Martin Bean, former Vice-Chancellor, The Open
University.
Sir Alec Reed, who has a long history of funding education projects,
said: “The aim of the app is to help capture a user’s cognitive
‘temperature’ at different times of the day. This will then help them to
make informed decisions on how to plan their workload or prepare for
important events such as interviews or exams.”
Find out more about the app and the games included:
www.openuniversity.co.uk/brainwave
Download the app:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ou-brainwave/id946774097?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ac.uk.openuniversity.brainwave