CogniFit - Recognition

What is recognition?

Recognition could be defined as the brain's ability to identify stimuli, like situations, places, people, objects, etc. that you have seen before. Recognition is a cognitive ability that makes it possible to recover stored information and compare it to the information being presented in front of you. This is an important cognitive domains because it is one of the functions that makes it possible to perform tasks efficiently and carefully.

Recognition is a type of memory or "recovery". This recovery or memory is made up by the access of past information stored in our memory. These memory processes were classically studied with a list of words or images that the subject had to memorize and later remember. Depending on the conditions of the recovery phase, there may be different forms or types of memory.

• Open Memory: After seeing a list of words, the subject will be asked to repeat the words from the list in any order and without any help. This type of memory would also be employed if you want to remember all of the state's capitals, or all of the capitals of Europe.
• Serial Memory: After seeing a list of words, the subject would be asked to repeat the words from the list in the same orderthat they appeared in the list, without any help. This would be the same time of memory if you want to memorize a series of steps that you have to follow to cook an elaborate dish
• Keyword: After seeing a list of words, the subject will receive a series of hints or clues. These hints may be the same words that the subject has to remember (mixed with other words that were not on the list), which is what is understood to be recognition. However, the key memory also includes other types of clues, which can be either semantic or phonological. In the case that the list had the words in pairs, it would be possible to give one of the words in the pair in order to remember the element that is missing. For example, if the word pair was Banana-Chair, the key hint would be banana, and the subject would have to remember chair. This time of memory is what is used to remember loved once's faces, or to remember a street that you haven't seen in a long time.

In order for your recognition ability to work, it's necessary to have been previously exposed to the stimulus that you hope to recognize. A false positive may happen when you identify a stimulus that you have never seen before. For example, a false positive would be when you believe that you recognize a restaurant that you have never been to before. Conversely, a false negative is when you are unable to recognize a stimulus that you have seen before, as may be the case if you cannot remember having met a friend's friend.

As such, good recognition implies the ability to recognize places, objects, or people that you have seen before (not false negatives), and be able to identify the elements that you have not seen before (not false positive). Cognitive training can help improve you recognition and decrease the number of false negative and false positive recognition.

Examples of recognition

• If you're working with a client to close a deal, you have to automatically recognize the client, what the deal is, and remember all of the documents that you need in order to close the deal. Any kind of mistake in recognition may cause you both to waste time, effort, and you risk the possibility of upsetting the client.
• During an exam, it's important that the student correctly recognize what a certain question is referring to. If the student isn't able to recognize the chapter or information that the question is asking about, it may lead to them failing the test.
• When you're driving on the road, you have to be able to recognize what road you're on in order to take the right exit and direct your attention towards other, more important elements. Also, recognizing traffic signs is essential to driving safely and following the law.
• If someone greets you on the street, you have to use your recognition to know where you know them from and use either their voice or face to identify who it is.

Pathologies and disorders associated with recognition problems

Making recognition errors every once in a while is no cause for alarm. It is normal and quite common. A deficit in recognition is characterized by an increase in both false positive and false negative recognition. A real recognition problem will likely make it difficult to do a large part of your daily activities.

Someone with poor recognition might have a hard time accessing the information and memories stored in the brain. One of the most common diseases associated with recognition is Alzheimer's Disease, but other late stage dementias may have similar problems. Alterations in recognition are also common in disorders like schizophrenia, or dyscalculia. Anyone who has suffered brain injury, like stroke or chronic traumatic encephalopathy may present with signification recognition alterations.

How can you measure and assess recognition?

Recognition makes it possible to easily and efficiently carryout daily tasks, which is why evaluating it and knowing your recognition level can be helpful in a variety of areas: Academic, as it will help understand if a child will have trouble recognizing rules and formulas, Clinical/Medicine, as it will help a doctor know if a patient will have trouble recognizing their medication, family, or home. Finally understanding recognition can be helpful in Professional areas, as it will help understand if an employee will be able to recognize and work with material or clients.

With the help of a complete neuropsychological assessment, it is possible to efficiently measure a number of different cognitive skills reliably. CogniFit's assessment to evaluate recognition is based on the classic Continuous Performance Test (CPT), the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM), the Hooper Visual Organization Task (VOT), and the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA). Aside from recognition, this assessment also measures response time, working memory, visual scanning, and spatial perception.

• Recognition Test WOM-REST: Three objects will appear on the screen. The user will first have to remember the order in which the objects appear as quickly as possible. A screen with four series of three objects will then be presented, and the user must choose the option that was displayed on the first screen.

How can you rehabilitate or improve recognition?

All cognitive abilities, including recognition, can be trained and improved. CogniFit may help by offering personalized training programs.

Brain plasticity is the basis for rehabilitating and improve recognition and other cognitive skills. CogniFit has an entire battery of exercises that were designed by a team of neuropsychologists and scientists to help improve deficits in recognition and other cognitive functions. The brain and its neural networks get stronger and more efficient through continuous practice, which is why consistent training can help improve the brain structures related to recognition.

CognIFit was created by a team of professionals specialized in the area of synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis, which is why we were able to create the personalized cognitive stimulation program to fit the needs of each individual user. This program starts by closely assessing recognition and other fundamental cognitive functions. With the results from this assessment, the program created a personalized cognitive program to help train and strengthen the cognitive domains that each specific user needs to train.

The assessment is the key to getting the most out of the training program. CogniFit has assessment tools and instruments to rehabilitate and optimize recognition. CogniFit's training program only requires 15 minutes a day, two to three times a week.

You can get access to CogniFit's cognitive stimulation program online. There are a number of brain games and activities that can be played on the computer or many mobile devices. After each session is completed, the user will receive a detailed report with their cognitive progress.