Computer Based Intelligence Training with Denkspiele mit Elfe und Mathis [Thinking Games with Elfe und Mathis]“ – Presentation and Evaluation of a Computer Program for Preschool and Elementary School

Inductive reasoning is a process in which regularities are detected. It constitutes a vital part of our general intelligence. “Thinking Games with Elfe und Mathis” is the name of a computer program that is aimed at enhancing inductive reasoning skills in pre- and elementary school children. To test its efficacy, 12 second graders from a special school for students with severe learning difficulties were trained with this software, while 18 comparable subjects of a control group received instruction according to an educational concept called “weekly plans”. After the intervention, the children in the experimental group outperformed the children in the control group in their fluid intellectual ability. The greatest improvements were achieved by those subjects, who showed a comparatively low fluid intelligence level before the training. However, the two groups showed no differences in their verbal intelligence after the intervention.