loyd Morrisett knows a
thing or two about tapping technology to stimulate the brain.
In the 1960s, Morrisett helped create Sesame Street to harness the power of television
to teach young children.
Now 78, Morrisett has latched on to another project that he
says marries technology and mind improvement—one that has changed his own brain
for the better.
Morrisett is an advisor to Posit Science, a San Francisco-based
software company with a program designed to turn back the clock on aging brains.
Posit Science is one of a number of vendors pitching brain fitness software and
hopes to sell its product to companies as a workforce training tool.
Morrisett retired from full-time paid work in 1998, but remains
busy. He serves on the boards of Sesame Street producer Sesame Workshop, opinion
research group Public Agenda and Internet services firm Tucows. Morrisett also practices
piano and singing.
He learned about Posit Science several years ago from an acquaintance
and met with company co-founder Michael Merzenich, a neuroscientist at the University
of California, San Francisco. Morrisett eventually went through a test version of
the company’s brain fitness program, which took him 40 hours over eight weeks.
"It seemed to me that did have an effect," Morrisett says,
adding that "the improvement seems to be a long-term improvement."
In particular, Morrisett says his hearing in noisy settings
seemed better. So did his memory. He found it easier to recall names and access
current information.
Another benefit, he says, came in the realm of his music.
Years ago, Morrisett could not match a tone played on the piano with his voice.
Now he can, and he believes Posit Science helped. In one of the program’s activities,
users are asked to listen to two tones played in rapid succession and then decide
whether the second was higher or lower than the first.
Doubts have been raised about whether computer brain training
programs are engaging enough to maintain people’s interest. Morrisett, though, says
he had no trouble staying motivated in the Posit Science program. Seeing his progress
over time helped. "It’s highly rewarding," he says. "I looked forward to it."
Morrisett can imagine companies, such as those in the financial
sector, offering Posit Science training as a perk to employees. "I would think that
some companies certainly will try it out," he says.
Behind Morrisett’s guess is a vision of blending tech with
a population in need of help. Back in 1968, when he co-founded Children’s Television
Workshop, it was television and disadvantaged children. Now it’s computers and older
people trying to keep mentally fit as careers stretch out.
"I think there’s going to be quite an interest in staying
sharp over a longer period of time," he says.
Workforce Management, January 14, 2008, p. 22
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