Behind the scenes of this popular game:

Word Bubbles and its sequel, Word Bubbles Rising, have been played millions of times by Lumosity users around the world. Now we'd like to share the scientific concepts that inspired these engaging exercises. [Lumosity.com] [Start Today's Training] Turning Science into Games: Word Bubbles [Wordbubbles_e5c1ae7f05] Word Bubbles and its sequel, Word Bubbles Rising, have been played millions of times by Lumosity users around the world. Now we'd like to share the scientific concepts that inspired these engaging exercises. What is verbal fluency? At its core, Word Bubbles challenges verbal fluency. Verbal fluency refers to the ability to quickly access your mental vocabulary, selecting appropriate words when talking or writing. If you've ever struggled with a word on the tip of your tongue, searched for a witty comeback, or tried to persuade someone, then you understand the importance of verbal fluency. More specifically, Word Bubbles challenges phonemic fluency, or fluency with words that begin with a certain letter or sound. The other category, semantic fluency, is fluency with words of a certain semantic type, such as animals or foods. A brief history of verbal fluency tests L.L. Thurstone, one of the most frequently cited psychologists of the 20th century, is known for several breakthroughs in psychology — especially his cognitive assessments. After studying at Cornell University and working briefly with Thomas Edison, he decided to specialize in human cognition, and pioneered new statistical ways to measure cognitive abilities. His landmark assessment, published in 1938, measured what he called “primary mental abilities” — one of which was verbal fluency. Thurstone’s original test was short and simple. He gave participants 5 minutes to write as many words as they could that began with “S”, then 4 minutes with “C”. The more words the participant recalled, the higher their score. Building on Thurstone’s work, in 1969 Dr. Arthur Benton developed a more complex verbal fluency assessment: the Controlled Word Association Test (CWAT). By asking participants to recall words that began with letters of increasing difficulty — such as “C”, “F”, and “L” — Bensen was able to get a deeper understanding of the participant’s verbal fluency skills. Challenge your own verbal fluency Our scientists used aspects of these assessments to create Word Bubbles, then made some changes of their own. Our games include stems with multiple letters, and this specificity reduces the possible vocabulary you can draw from — making you stretch your mental vocabulary to find more words. Ready to train your own verbal fluency? Try Word Bubbles today! [Subscribe to Lumosity] [within the next 3 days to] [receive 30% off] [Subscribe] [Sidebar_ico_lock_1942ef636f] Unlock your Premium Training Program to enjoy: • Full daily workouts • All 50+ games • Training Reminders • How You Compare • Training History • Free mobile training [Btn_sidebar_unlocklumosity_d6104d73f7] [Sidebar_break4] [Family_icon_176_124_da3199e7c6] Share a Family Plan The Lumosity Family Plan lets you add up to 4 friends and family members to your account for free. That means huge savings compared to an individual plan! [See Plans—Save 30%] [HUMAN COGNITION PROJECT] [ABOUT] [JOBS] [PRESS] [LEGAL] [ACTIVATION CODES] [FAMILY PLANS] [GROUP PLANS] [HELP] [Lumosity on Facebook] [Lumosity on Twitter] [Lumosity on Google+] [Lumosity on Youtube] The email address linked to your Lumosity account is [{EMAIL}]. [Click here] to update your email preferences or unsubscribe. Note that even if you unsubscribe, we will send certain account-related emails, such as purchase details or requests for password resets. Have questions? We're here to help! [Contact us] anytime. Lumos Labs, Inc. | 140 New Montgomery, Floor 19 | San Francisco, CA 94105