What’s this?

Today’s post and game will draw greatly on the previous Test Your True Colors: Odds or Evens? The idea came to me while I was thinking about different channels through which we receive information. I remembered I used to struggle a lot with the auditory channel, as opposed to visual, and I wondered how I’d do if sounds were involved instead of numbers.

Turns out – much better. Our perception of “difficult” differs greatly from our brains’ perception. It’s logical, true – but there’s nothing logical in a task that’s towering behind you with the sense of “difficult”. However, before we approach the task as such, here’s a wise thought from a personal experience – just because it’s looming, it doesn’t mean it’s not merely a shadow.

Let me explain.

What’s Old?

This post relies on a lot of fundamental concepts that we discussed earlier. To avoid the repetition – if you’re not sure which ones, check out What You Should Know from the previous post.

It is also built based on creating mental associations between two elements. In the previous game colors were triggered by numbers, and in this one – by sounds.

Both of these games engage our selective attention as we have to focus on what matters and filter out distractions, and then there is the ever-present time pressure which enhances our cognitive speed and decision-making process.

This is what we’ve mentioned so far.

What’s New?

Unlike the previous game that involves visual processing (seeing numbers and colors), this one engages auditory processing (hearing the sound and visually matching the correct color). In terms of fancy brain functions, the games activate different parts of the brain. In the first game, this is the occipital lobe, which handles visual processing, and in this one, both the temporal lobe and occipital lobe are engaged, responsible for auditory and visual processing, respectively. Combining sounds and visuals increases multisensory integration, which is, basically, our brains’ ability to use cues from multiple senses in concert. This improves reaction time and decision-making by allowing us to process information faster and respond more effectively.

The two mentioned games also have different complexities of input. Numbers are inherently more complex than sounds because they carry built-in logic and meaning, which is why we need to analyze whether the number is odd or even before mapping it to a color. The sounds used in the game belong to simpler stimuli – we just recognize them and react accordingly, without any need for analysis.

In terms of automaticity, numbers have pre-existing associations – we already know “odd” and “even”. This additional layer explains why it’s harder for us to solve this type of tasks than the ones involving sounds. These simple sounds are also neutral stimuli, which means that our brain creates entirely new associations with the colors, which then makes them easier for us to process.

Bottom line: the previous game engages math and logic. This logic element pushes the brain to perform two tasks – identify the nature of the number and match it to the correct color. This creates an extra layer of cognitive load in which we’re not just matching; we’re actually decoding.

On the other hand, simple sounds like the ones from this game bypass this logic step. Basically, we hear the sound and directly associate it with the color. Here, the focus is on sound recognition and multisensory matching. Though simpler and more instinctive, this game still offers a new, nice touch to sharpen our focus and working memory.

What’s Up?

(Okay, perhaps not the best subheading in the world, but I have a thing for rhyme, repetition, and harmony, so bear with me.)

Here’s how to play: The game has two sounds and four colors: red, blue, green, and yellow – make sure your sound is on!

After you click the start button, the sounds will be associated with two of the four mentioned colors. You will have 5 seconds to memorize these associations.

Next, you will hear a random sound, and you’ll have to match it with the right color. Be careful – colors are reshuffled with each new round.

There are 60 rounds and 60 seconds in total. If you beat the time – you win. If you have a correct streak within the given time – you also win! However, if you make a mistake – the game is over.

Best of luck, and let’s see what you’re made of! 😉

So, how much faster did you finish this game? Get in touch and let us know!

If you like the game, share your score and challenge your friends to beat it!

Keep your mind sharp and your smile brighter!