ABSTRACT
For elite performers, such as collegiate and professional athletes, military special operations personnel, astronauts, or first responders, the goal of training is to improve performance of real-world tasks – from competition to operations. In the mental performance domain, a range of tools have been developed and marketed that claim to provide positive benefits for cognition across broad domains of function. Computer-based cognitive training tools have, over the past 20 years, proliferated as a global multibillion dollar industry, which is touted by education, athletic, and military end users for its promise to facilitate cognitive skill development specifically and to enhance real-world performance generally. In this chapter, we analyze a range of currently available computer-assisted cognitive training tools. This review is not intended to be exhaustive, rather it serves to highlight key approaches and explore strengths and limitations of computer-based cognitive skills training applications more broadly.
