Applied Cognitive Engineering
Oxymoron, of course. Engineering is inherently applied. But in this case, I think the term refers to something you make money from. Or, at least, you intend to make money on. I am talking about a company. Applied Cognitive Engineering. They offer a computer game intended for training basketball players. The IntelliGym™.
According to their website, the game has been implemented in over 16 Division-1 college basketball teams. From their marketing copy:
"…a revolutionary training tool that enables basketball players to dramatically improve their game-intelligence skills. The trainer directly stimulates the brain-functions responsible for basketball's cognitive skills. By doing so, this unique trainer enables super-quick development of proficiencies that, until now, were considered impossible to teach: decision-making, execution, shot selection, peripheral vision, court sense, team play and more. Training results on the system by actual basketball teams has shown their performance to improve by 22% to 28%.
"The concept of the ACE training software, the ACE IntelliGymTM, was originally developed for fighter pilots of the Israeli Air Force. It features an automatic, self-adjusting training regimen set in a computer-game-like environment that is both familiar and fun. The trainer evaluates the skill-set of each player's skills and administers a customized training program to fit that player's individual needs.
"The game bears no external resemblance to basketball. The player initially shoots down enemy spacecraft using the keyboard’s arrow keys. Over the span of a dozen or so 40-minute sessions, the tasks get more complicated, challenging the player to confront a variety of enemies with a range of weapons. That may sound like standard video-game fare, but there’s a carefully planned strategy underneath: each level is designed to exercise specific skills used in basketball, such as predicting an opponent’s trajectory, deciding when to shoot at an opponent who keeps changing direction, and working with other team members to defeat a number of opponents. Reports of player and team performance are automatically generated for review by coaches.
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I have no independent information about this game. Here, I am calling attention to the entrepreneurial concept of developing and marketing a game as training device in the context of evaluation. They are marketing this product to college basketball teams and apparently getting evaluation of effect on performance. If it can show results there, of course, it will have a bigger market in high schools ($85 per team member) and individuals ($150 for you teen). These prices are probably acceptable if the game is as effective as claimed.
I will have more to say about ACE later, but here is their take on cognitive engineering:
"Cognitive training consists of a variety of brain exercises designed to help improve functionality. The principle underlying cognitive training is to help improve the "core" abilities, which most people mistakenly consider as instincts. Abilities such as coordination, attention control, peripheral vision, perception and many more are not "born instincts" but rather cognitive skills. The science of cognitive engineering focuses on the evaluation and analysis of these skills. An especially remarkable aspect of the science is cognitive training: the enhancement of human cognitive skills to improve performance."
According to their website, the game has been implemented in over 16 Division-1 college basketball teams. From their marketing copy:
"…a revolutionary training tool that enables basketball players to dramatically improve their game-intelligence skills. The trainer directly stimulates the brain-functions responsible for basketball's cognitive skills. By doing so, this unique trainer enables super-quick development of proficiencies that, until now, were considered impossible to teach: decision-making, execution, shot selection, peripheral vision, court sense, team play and more. Training results on the system by actual basketball teams has shown their performance to improve by 22% to 28%.
"The concept of the ACE training software, the ACE IntelliGymTM, was originally developed for fighter pilots of the Israeli Air Force. It features an automatic, self-adjusting training regimen set in a computer-game-like environment that is both familiar and fun. The trainer evaluates the skill-set of each player's skills and administers a customized training program to fit that player's individual needs.
"The game bears no external resemblance to basketball. The player initially shoots down enemy spacecraft using the keyboard’s arrow keys. Over the span of a dozen or so 40-minute sessions, the tasks get more complicated, challenging the player to confront a variety of enemies with a range of weapons. That may sound like standard video-game fare, but there’s a carefully planned strategy underneath: each level is designed to exercise specific skills used in basketball, such as predicting an opponent’s trajectory, deciding when to shoot at an opponent who keeps changing direction, and working with other team members to defeat a number of opponents. Reports of player and team performance are automatically generated for review by coaches.
-------------
I have no independent information about this game. Here, I am calling attention to the entrepreneurial concept of developing and marketing a game as training device in the context of evaluation. They are marketing this product to college basketball teams and apparently getting evaluation of effect on performance. If it can show results there, of course, it will have a bigger market in high schools ($85 per team member) and individuals ($150 for you teen). These prices are probably acceptable if the game is as effective as claimed.
I will have more to say about ACE later, but here is their take on cognitive engineering:
"Cognitive training consists of a variety of brain exercises designed to help improve functionality. The principle underlying cognitive training is to help improve the "core" abilities, which most people mistakenly consider as instincts. Abilities such as coordination, attention control, peripheral vision, perception and many more are not "born instincts" but rather cognitive skills. The science of cognitive engineering focuses on the evaluation and analysis of these skills. An especially remarkable aspect of the science is cognitive training: the enhancement of human cognitive skills to improve performance."
posted by Selby Evans at 8:56 AM
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