28. The method of claim 26 , further comprising presenting the first and second exercises in an alternating fashion.
26. A multiple-stage, multiple-level computer-implemented method for building vocabulary skills and improving accuracy and fluency in critical thinking and reasoning skills in a student, utilizing a computing device to present stimuli and to record responses, the method comprising utilizing the computing device to perform: providing a first exercise of challenging the student to complete a plurality of incomplete analogies for each of a plurality of analogy categories, wherein each incomplete analogy is presented in a doze task format where the student is challenged to select an appropriate term from a selectable set of terms with which to accurately complete the analogy; and providing a second exercise of presenting a plurality of complete analogies to the student and, for each analogy, presenting a plurality of selectable categories with a single category that correctly characterizes the analogy, and challenging the student, for each analogy, to select the correct category; for each of the exercises, recording the student's selection on a memory of the computing device; evaluating the student's responses to the exercise challenges; and progressively increasing a difficulty level of the exercises if the student's responses meet or exceed a predetermined threshold of accuracy.