Executive Function
Card Sort Game
Also called: dimensional change card sort game, DCCS game, preschool card sort game, rule-switching game
Measure cognitive flexibility in children aged 3 to 6. Children tap a box to sort cards by one rule, then by another, and play a border game if they switch well.
3-5 minUntimed
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- Papers, 2021 to 2025
- 247
- Evidence grade
- B
- Registered clinical studies
- 213
Figures for the Dimensional Change Card Sort, the published test this game is compared with.
How these are countedWhat it measures
Measures cognitive flexibility in children aged 3 to 6, with an adult reading the screens aloud. The child taps one of two boxes to sort each card, first by one rule, then by the other. A child who sorts the cards after the switch well goes on to a border game. The main score is the number of cards sorted correctly after the switch.
Constructs
- Cognitive flexibility
- Set shifting
- Rule switching
- Early executive function
Research uses
- Research on cognitive flexibility in early childhood
- Developmental research on executive function in children aged 3 to 6
- Preschool and kindergarten education research
How the paradigm works
The Card Sort Game measures cognitive flexibility in children aged 3 to 6. It is a game version of the Dimensional Change Card Sort (Zelazo 2006), in which a child sorts the same cards first by one rule and then by another. Two boxes show an orange star and a blue moon. Every card is a blue star or an orange moon, so it fits one box by color and the other by shape.
More about the paradigm
An adult reads each screen aloud. A demonstration and two practice cards come first, and practice shows a tick or a cross. In the scored part the child sorts 6 cards by one rule (color or shape, drawn from the session's seed), then 6 cards by the other rule, with no feedback and no time limit. A child with 5 or more of the 6 cards right after the switch goes on to the border game: 12 cards, where a card with a border is sorted by color and a card without one by shape. The child taps a box and never drags.
The main score is the number of cards sorted right after the switch, out of 6. The game also reports the cards right before the switch, the cards right in the border game (empty when the child did not reach it) and the phases passed, from 0 to 3 (5 of 6, 5 of 6 and 9 of 12). The game look adds a small face on each card and a soft background. The plain look draws the same cards on a white screen. Both looks keep the same colors, shapes, sizes and places, and the researcher chooses the look for a study.
This game is a new measure that shares the paradigm of the Dimensional Change Card Sort. The paper counts and grades on this page are those of the Dimensional Change Card Sort, the published test the game is compared with, not the game's own. The game's own reliability and norms come from use, so a retest 7 to 28 days later is recommended. Scores are research measures, and a child's result is not ranked against other children.
Scores
- Cards Right After the Switchcount
- Cards sorted correctly by the second rule, after the switch, out of 6.
- Higher is better
- Cards Right Before the Switchcount
- Cards sorted correctly by the first rule, out of 6.
- Higher is better
- Border Game Cards Rightcount
- Cards sorted correctly in the border game, out of 12. Empty when the child did not reach it.
- Higher is better
- Phases Passedcount
- Phases at or over their pass mark: 5 of 6 before the switch, 5 of 6 after it and 9 of 12 in the border game.
- 0 to 3; higher is better
Use and evidence
247 papers from 2021 to 2025 name this task in their title or abstract, up 55% compared with 2016 to 2020. That ranks it 122 of 582 test families in our census. These counts belong to the Dimensional Change Card Sort, the published test this game is compared with. This game is a new measure, so its own reliability and norms come from use. See the counts for every test.
Show the numbers
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 57 |
| 2024 | 40 |
| 2023 | 57 |
| 2022 | 52 |
| 2021 | 41 |
| 2020 | 41 |
| 2019 | 43 |
| 2018 | 27 |
| 2017 | 29 |
| 2016 | 19 |
| 2015 | 15 |
| 2014 | 29 |
| 2013 | 20 |
| 2012 | 18 |
| 2011 | 14 |
| 2010 | 15 |
| 2009 | 19 |
| 2008 | 11 |
| 2007 | 8 |
| 2006 | 8 |
| 2005 | 8 |
| 2004 | 9 |
| 2003 | 7 |
| 2002 | 3 |
| 2001 | 0 |
| 2000 | 2 |
Use grade C
100 to 299 papers from 2021 to 2025.
Evidence grade B
At least 8 test-retest papers, and either 5 registered clinical studies or 150 reliability or validity papers.
- Papers on test-retest reliability
- 11
- Papers on reliability or validity
- 57
- Registered clinical studies using it as an outcome
- 213
Measured on ConductCognition
Pooled across the studies that feed our platform norms, by device group. A figure needs 50 or more people.
No pooled figure yet.
How the grades work
Use: A is 1,000 or more papers from 2021 to 2025, B 300 to 999, C 100 to 299, D 30 to 99 and E fewer than 30. Evidence: A means at least 25 papers report its test-retest reliability and at least 25 registered clinical studies use it as an outcome; B, at least 8 test-retest papers, and either 5 registered clinical studies or 150 reliability or validity papers; C, at least 2 test-retest papers, 30 reliability or validity papers or 3 registered clinical studies; D, little published measurement evidence found. The counts measure use. They include every paper that names the task in its title or abstract. Grades describe the published research on the Dimensional Change Card Sort, the published test this game is compared with, not the game's own.
Source: ConductCognition test census 0.39.0, counted 31 October 2026 from OpenAlex and ClinicalTrials.gov.
Task design
The trial sequence as the test runs in ConductCognition.
- Boxes
- Two boxes, an orange star on the left and a blue moon on the right. The child taps a box and never drags.
- Cards
- Each card is a blue star or an orange moon, so it fits one box by color and the other by shape. The orange and the blue come from a palette for color-blind readers, and the star and the moon also differ in outline.
- Rules
- 6 cards by one rule (color or shape, drawn from the session's seed), then 6 cards by the other rule. An adult says the name of the game before each card.
- Border game
- A child with 5 or more of the 6 cards right after the switch sorts 12 more cards: a card with a border by color, a card without one by shape. The pass mark is 9 of 12.
- Practice
- A demonstration and 2 practice cards come first. Practice shows a tick or a cross and a line of text; scored cards show nothing.
- Timing
- No time limit. A tap sooner than 200 ms after a card appears is not taken as an answer.
- Looks
- The game look adds a small face on each card and a soft background, and the plain look draws the same cards on white. Colors, shapes, sizes and places are the same in both. The researcher chooses the look for a study; the default is the game look.
- Score
- Cards sorted right after the switch (the main score), cards right before the switch and in the border game, and the phases passed, from 0 to 3. No percentile is computed.
A new game that shares the paradigm of the Dimensional Change Card Sort, not its figures. The game's own reliability and norms come from use, and a retest 7 to 28 days later is recommended.
Quality checks
Each session is marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason, before you see its scores.
Scored rows: card_sort_game before the switch, after it and in the border game, from the scored run, graded from the recorded card and rule. Practice, the demonstration, cards sorted with a hidden tab and cards sorted while the window changed size (a tablet turned) are left out. A tap on one of two boxes (chance 50%) with no time limit. Accuracy at or below chance is flagged, never invalid. One box on 90% of answers invalidates when accuracy is not above chance. Most answers under 200 ms invalidate. Fewer than 5 of the 6 cards before the switch, or no cards after it, are flagged.
Why these rules
Perseverating on a rule that is no longer rewarded produces systematic errors, so accuracy at or below chance can be the result the test measures; it is flagged for review and never invalidates. Color and shape always point to opposite boxes, and each phase holds both cards equally often, so the correct box is on the left half the time. One option on at least 90% of answered trials, when the correct options are balanced and accuracy is not above chance, means the answers did not depend on the items (the task counterpart of long-string responding in surveys; Curran 2016). An answer under 200 ms is faster than a simple visual reaction, so it cannot reflect the item. Following response-time effort screening for untimed tests (Wise and Kong 2005), the session is invalid only when at least half the answers are that fast. The pass marks and the review limits are ConductScience choices.
No percentile. Scores and quality flags only.
Running this test
Settings you can change
| Setting | Standard | Allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Look | Game | Game, Plain |
Every plan can change the look, which never changes how a result is scored.
Need a setting this test does not have?
Devices and languages
- Untimed test: runs on desktops, laptops and tablets. Participant devices
- Languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified) and Japanese.
- Available on: Every plan, including the free plan.
- No percentile. Scores and quality flags only. How norms work
- Recruiting online? See the setup guides for Prolific, Sona Systems, CloudResearch Connect and Qualtrics.
Cite and describe
Participants completed the Card Sort Game in a web browser (ConductCognition task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0; Zelazo, 2006; Howard & Melhuish, 2017), with the standard settings (look: Game). The main score was cards right after the switch (cards sorted correctly by the second rule, after the switch, out of 6).
ConductCognition versions: task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0. Every export records the versions each session used, for a methods section.
- Zelazo, P. D. (2006). The Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS): A method of assessing executive function in children. Nature Protocols, 1(1), 297-301. https://doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2006.46The card sort, its switch from one rule to the other and its border version.
- Howard, S. J., & Melhuish, E. (2017). An Early Years Toolbox for assessing early executive function, language, self-regulation, and social development: Validity, reliability, and preliminary norms. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 35(3), 255-275. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282916633009A tablet card sort for children aged 2.5 to 5, and how it relates to the NIH Toolbox card sort.
Source papers
Questions
How long does the Card Sort Game take?
About 3 to 5 minutes, as listed in the test library.
What device does a participant need?
Untimed test: runs on desktops, laptops and tablets. The browser must be Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.
What scores does it produce?
Cards Right After the Switch, Cards Right Before the Switch, Border Game Cards Right and Phases Passed. Each session is also marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason.
How widely is the Dimensional Change Card Sort used in research?
These counts belong to the Dimensional Change Card Sort, the published test this game is compared with. This game is a new measure, so its own reliability and norms come from use. 247 papers from 2021 to 2025 name the task in their title or abstract, up 55% compared with 2016 to 2020. That ranks it 122 of 582 test families in the ConductCognition test census (use grade C). Source: ConductCognition test census 0.39.0, counted 31 October 2026 from OpenAlex and ClinicalTrials.gov.
How much reliability evidence does the Dimensional Change Card Sort have?
These counts belong to the Dimensional Change Card Sort, the published test this game is compared with. This game is a new measure, so its own reliability and norms come from use. In the published research, 11 papers report the task's test-retest reliability and 213 registered clinical studies use it as an outcome (evidence grade B in the ConductCognition test census).
Does it report a percentile?
No. Scores and quality flags only.
Which settings can a researcher change?
Look (Game, Plain). Every plan can change the look, which never changes how a result is scored.
Which languages can participants use?
Participants can take this test in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified) and Japanese. English is on every plan, and the other languages come with yearly plans. Have a native speaker read the machine-translated text before launch.
Is this a clinical test?
No. ConductCognition is for research use only. It runs, scores and exports the test; clinical interpretation is outside the platform.
Every test: the full test list.
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