Mastermind Cognitive Training

The research behind Mastermind

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Mastermind Cognitive Training is studied through independent research. A registered clinical trial of 168 UK primary students found significant improvement in teacher-reported attention and eye-tracking measures of visual control. A separate peer-reviewed study of junior tennis players found 38 percent greater improvement than a control group.

Targeted, adaptive interventions designed to improve specific cognitive control abilities such as attention show encouraging signals.

Dr. Joaquin AngueraUCSF cognitive neuroscientist · Forbes, 2026

Built on evidence

Mastermind is built on cognitive science and dedicated to advancing it. Its training grows from established and continued research on how the brain learns and adapts.

Registered clinical trial Independent

Independently studied

A registered clinical trial at the University of Bedfordshire found statistically significant improvement in teacher-reported attention (p=.017) and in eye-tracking measures of visual control (p=.001), compared with a control group. Eye movement control is the steadiness that lets a student track a line of text and find the next one.

Led by Dr. Anastasia Giannakopoulou, lead researcher on the trial, with Dr. Joaquin Anguera, a UCSF cognitive neuroscientist and leading researcher in game-based cognitive training.

Peer review in progress Publication expected September 2026
Read the preprint
Preprint

Virtual Reality and Tablet Cognitive Training Improve Attention and Academic Skills Without Dose Effects

Giannakopoulou A, Gordon AM, Gallen CE, Seaman M, Fedele D, Anguera JA

doi: 10.1101/2025.09.16.676629 ISRCTN75915439 · N=168 · Ages 8–10 University of Bedfordshire
Preprint Company study

Case study

Fusion Academy

With more than 80 campuses, Fusion Academy serves students with learning, social, or emotional differences. The school ran this study in partnership with Mastermind Cognitive Training.

Across cognitive measures, students using Mastermind improved several times as much as their peers, led by working memory and cognitive flexibility.

38 trained · 27 control10–18 weeks7 locations~60 min/week

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Mastermind students vs peers

Working memory
6.9×
Cognitive flexibility*
5.3×
Overall cognitive performance
5.1×
Visual attention and tracking
4.7×

Students not using Mastermind Students using Mastermind

*Cognitive flexibility is the ability to shift and adapt cognitive responses.

View all Fusion results

Mastermind students vs peers

Cognitive

  • 6.9× Working memory
  • 5.3× Cognitive flexibility
  • 5.1× Overall cognitive performance
  • 4.7× Visual attention and tracking

Reading

  • 3.1× Reading comprehension

Speed and efficiency

Reading

  • 21% faster reading after training
  • 35% reduction in reading response-time variability

Math

  • 24% faster math processing, without losing accuracy
  • 13% faster mathematical decision-making, without losing accuracy

Processing

  • 10% faster processing and response speed vs peers (~18 ms)

Also observed

  • Improved performance on skills that support focus and attention
  • Improved oculomotor performance (saccades, pursuits, fixations)
Peer-reviewed study Independent

Published study

Junior tennis players

A peer-reviewed study examined whether cognitive training with Mastermind transfers beyond the training tasks themselves to measurable gains in real competitive performance among junior players.

Performance was measured with the Universal Tennis Rating, the sport's standard, objective index of on-court skill, recorded before and after the training period.

JMIR Formative ResearchFebruary 2025published

Read the study

Assessing the Impact of a Virtual Reality Cognitive Intervention on Tennis Performance in Junior Tennis Players: Pilot Study

Anguera JA, Choudhry A, Seaman M, Fedele D

38%
greater improvement in Universal Tennis Rating versus a control group · p=.008

59 junior players · 24 sessions over about four months.

How the skills translate

Cognitive skills underpin learning, competition, and work alike. Mastermind trains them, and the growth measured in its studies matters wherever those skills are used.

Education

Ready to learn

The attention, memory, and fluency to access instruction and keep pace.

  • 3×Growth in focusAttention that holds through a lesson
  • 3×Growth in reading fluencyReading smoothly and accurately at a natural pace
  • 4×Growth in math fluencyRecalling facts and procedures without stalling
Registered trial

A registered trial in UK primary schools studied attention and visual control in students ages 8 to 10, using teacher ratings and eye-tracking measures rather than self-report.

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Athletics

Ready to compete

The reaction speed, visual tracking, and focus that win under pressure.

  • 3×Growth in processing speedReading the play and responding a step sooner
  • 3×Growth in eye movementTracking the ball and the field with control
  • 3×Growth in focusHolding attention when it counts
Independently studied

A study in JMIR Formative Research measured real competitive performance in junior tennis players using the Universal Tennis Rating, the sport's standard index of on-court skill.

Explore athletics

Figures are pooled across Mastermind studies (the University of Bedfordshire trial and the Fusion Academy pilot) and are not tied to any single study. The pooled figures were developed with Dr. Joaquin Anguera, a UCSF cognitive neuroscientist.

The broader research base

Peer-reviewed research from the wider field that Mastermind references in support of the category. Each source is attributed to its journal.

Reading, rhythm and timing

Attention and digital therapeutics

Working memory and executive function

Vision and movement in sport

Virtual reality and decision training

These are external studies Mastermind references, not Mastermind's own results; the findings are the original authors' own.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about the research itself. For the full summary and study citations, request information.

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  • Is Mastermind's research peer-reviewed?

    Mastermind's junior tennis study is peer-reviewed, published in JMIR Formative Research in 2025. The University of Bedfordshire school trial is a registered study currently in peer review, with publication expected in September 2026. Both compared students who trained on Mastermind with a control group.

  • What does the eye-tracking finding mean?

    In the University of Bedfordshire trial, students who trained on Mastermind showed statistically significant improvement in eye-tracking measures (p=.001), assessed with the RightEye system: fixation stability, saccades, and smooth pursuits. Eye movement control is the steadiness that lets a student track a line of text and find the next one.

  • How was the University of Bedfordshire study conducted?

    It was a registered, randomized controlled trial (ISRCTN75915439) of 168 students ages 8 to 10. Students completed 30 Mastermind training sessions, and the training group was compared with a control group. Teacher-reported attention improved significantly (p=.017), as did eye-tracking measures of visual control (p=.001).

  • What does the UCSF connection mean?

    Dr. Joaquin Anguera, a UCSF cognitive neuroscientist who studies game-based cognitive training, collaborated on the University of Bedfordshire trial. The affiliation describes Dr. Anguera's own credentials. UCSF is not a commercial partner, and naming him is not a claim of institutional endorsement.

  • Is Mastermind backed by independent research?

    Yes. The University of Bedfordshire trial was conducted independently in UK primary schools, and the junior tennis study was independently published in JMIR Formative Research after peer review. Both measured students who trained on Mastermind against a control group.

Get the research summary

Request the study citations, or schedule a demo to see Mastermind in action.

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