Speed Processing Training
Accelerate your cognitive processing speed — react faster, think quicker, and process information more efficiently under time pressure.
Change detection activates your visual attention network — a key brain system.
What Is Speed Processing Training?
Processing speed measures how quickly your brain can take in, understand, and respond to information. It determines your reaction time, reading speed, and ability to perform under pressure. FOKIQ's speed training includes rapid odd-one-out identification, quick counting, change detection, and rapid sorting — all timed to push your processing limits.
Why Is Speed Processing Training Important?
Processing speed affects nearly every cognitive task. Faster processing means more efficient use of working memory, quicker decision-making, and better performance under time pressure. Research shows that processing speed training can reduce cognitive decline and improve daily functioning in older adults.
How to Improve
- Practice timed cognitive tasks daily to build automatic processing
- Play action video games — research shows they improve processing speed
- Reduce cognitive load by mastering fundamentals until they're automatic
- Physical exercise, especially aerobic exercise, improves processing speed
- Practice rapid visual scanning with timed search tasks
- Challenge yourself with progressively shorter time limits
- Get adequate sleep — fatigue significantly slows processing speed
Exercise Types in FOKIQ
Science & Research
Processing speed can improve by 50-100% with targeted training, even in older adults.
Ball et al., JAMA, 2002 (ACTIVE trial)
In the ACTIVE trial, the speed-of-processing group had a lower rate of dementia diagnoses at 10-year follow-up than controls. The training was supervised Useful Field of View practice, not a browser game, and this is one secondary finding from one trial.
Edwards et al., Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2017
Action video game players have 10-20% faster visual processing speed than non-gamers.
Green & Bavelier, Nature, 2003
Myelination — the insulation of neural pathways — is a key mechanism behind processing speed improvements.
Kail & Salthouse, Psychological Bulletin, 1994
Key Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
What speed exercises does FOKIQ include?
FOKIQ features four speed sub-modes: Odd One Out (rapidly identify the different item), Counting (quick numerical assessment), Change Detection (spot what changed between two scenes), and Rapid Sort (categorize items as fast as possible). Each has a 15-second time limit.
Does processing speed training reduce dementia risk?
Not in any way we would claim for FOKIQ. The ACTIVE trial (2,832 participants) reported a lower rate of dementia diagnoses in its speed-of-processing group at 10-year follow-up, and only in that group — not in the memory or reasoning arms. That was supervised Useful Field of View training delivered in structured sessions, it is a secondary analysis of a single trial, and it says nothing about a two-minute daily browser game. Playing FOKIQ will not prevent dementia and we will not suggest that it does.
What is the time limit for speed puzzles?
Speed puzzles in FOKIQ have a 15-second maximum time — the shortest of any domain. This is by design: speed training requires genuine time pressure.
How do I improve my speed score?
Focus on accuracy first, then gradually push for speed. The scoring formula weights speed at 60% and accuracy at 40%, so fast wrong answers score lower than slightly slower correct ones.
Can processing speed be improved at any age?
Yes. The ACTIVE trial showed significant improvements in adults aged 65-94. Processing speed is one of the most trainable cognitive abilities at any age.