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DanielDeRossi comments on Open thread, 30 June 2014- 6 July 2014 - Less Wrong Discussion
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I went to my university psych center to get evaluated . Everything is pretty good , except my processing speed was below average. Since there are guys who know a lot about cognitive science here , is there a way to improve or at least ameliorate that? Any links to stuff would be appreciated.
There's some preliminary evidence that action video games could increase general processing speed, though the results have also been disputed.
Thanks!
Playing video games results in a waste of a life, however.
You could say the same for any form of entertainment. Yet people generally feel that having some enjoyable entertainment in their lives is a terminal value.
Of course people think that way. I used to. Self reflection led me to evict that belief as it made for inconsistent thinking.
Care to provide an argument for that statement?
Care to explain how playing a video game can be the most productive available activity, more productive than anything else you could be doing?
It's fun
I have fun reading textbooks and practicing foreign languages. It's not as concentrated fun as you get from a superstimulus like a video game, but it lasts longer and is more psychologically rewarding.
I used to play games to relax. But like eating unhealthy food, the benefit was ephemeral and the consequences lasting. Applying rationality to my own life (long before the existence of LW) resulted in ejecting that part of my life and finding more productive alternatives. My life is better as a result: I subjectively experience more fun and make better progress on my life goals.
I've been clean from video games for >10 years, and I could not recommend it more.
If video games have a significant effect
Improve your diet and sleep. There are a huge number of supplements you can experiment with, caffeine being the most popular. Plus keep track of what happens on days in which your processing speed is noticeably above or below your average.
This may be just me, but "processing speed" sounds terribly ambiguous. What kind of tests was this "measure" based on? This would help narrow down the area of functioning that needs work.
I think it was this
wikipedia.org/wiki/WechslerAdultIntelligence_Scale
I had similar results from the WISC as a child, low processing speed relative to everything else. It's been something I've been meaning to ask about for a while as well, particularly since one educational professional predicted my test scores (roughly, of course) from certain problematic behavioural patterns, which was enough evidence that there's something meaningful there to get my attention.
My memory of the tests isn't entirely clear, but one task was something like transcribing unfamiliar symbols according to a substitution key in a particular time span. If that's similar to Daniel's experience, then any advice that cognitive science types can come up with here could be useful to both of us.
ETA:
I think this study details the task I remember.
I also have a low processing speed relative to other mental abilities.
When reading this, I ask myself whether processing speed has something to do with akrasia.
How would you label your level of akrasia relative to other people?
Similar results in a similar test. High akrasia, potentially confounded by depression and anxiety.
IDK really. I do procrastinate more than I should.