Most used
Eriksen Flanker Task
Measures selective attention and cognitive control by requiring participants to identify the direction of a central arrow while ignoring flanking arrows.
4 to 5 minutes · Desktop or laptop
AEvidence1,472 papers, up 17%
Attention tests you can run online
Attention tests measure how well people keep their attention on a task and pick out what matters.
Attention tests
39 tests
Oddball Target Detection
Measures how fast and how reliably people detect a rare target. Shapes appear one at a time at a steady pace, and participants press the spacebar only for the rare star. This test records key presses and records no brain activity.
6 to 7 minutes · Desktop or laptop
AEvidence1,392 papers, down 1%Visual Search Test
Measures selective visual attention by asking participants to detect a target among distractors across set sizes.
5 to 7 minutes · Desktop or laptop
BEvidence1,132 papers, down 2%Continuous Performance Test
Measures sustained attention by asking participants to respond to target letters and withhold responses to non-target letters across a continuous stream.
6 to 9 minutes · Desktop or laptop
AEvidence1,014 papers, down 12%Psychomotor Vigilance Task
Measures sustained attention by requiring rapid responses to infrequent visual targets over variable waiting intervals.
4 to 6 minutes · Desktop or laptop
AEvidence972 papers, up 32%Biological Motion Task
Measures how well a person sees a walking figure made of dots among moving noise dots. The walker faces left or right and participants press an arrow key for its direction. A staircase on the number of noise dots finds how much noise the person tolerates at about 71% correct.
4 to 6 minutes · Desktop or laptop
CEvidence624 papers, down 2%Dot-Probe Task
Measures whether attention is drawn toward threatening words. A threat word and a neutral word flash above and below a cross, then a dot appears where one of them was and participants report its position with the arrow keys.
3 to 5 minutes · Desktop or laptop
Counted with Food-Picture Dot-Probe
AEvidence608 papers, down 19%Food-Picture Dot-Probe
Measures whether attention is drawn toward food. A food picture and a non-food picture appear side by side for 3 seconds, then a dot replaces one of them and participants press the left or right arrow for its side.
10 to 12 minutes · Desktop or laptop
Counted with Dot-Probe Task
AEvidence608 papers, down 19%Attention Network Test
Measures three attention functions in one task: alerting, orienting and executive control. A row of five arrows appears above or below a cross, sometimes after a brief star cue. Participants press the left or right arrow key for the direction of the middle arrow.
20 to 25 minutes · Desktop or laptop
AEvidence562 papers, up 14%- Shortest
Posner Cueing
Measures how quickly attention shifts to a location that briefly flashes. Response times to a dot in the flashed box (valid cue) are compared with the other box (invalid cue) and with trials where both boxes flash (neutral cue).
3 to 4 minutes · Desktop or laptop
BEvidence538 papers, down 6% Choice Reaction Time
Measures attention and decision speed by requiring participants to select the correct response based on which stimulus appears.
3 to 4 minutes · Desktop or laptop
AEvidence478 papers, down 12%- Strongest evidence
Contrast Sensitivity Test
A research measure of contrast sensitivity on the participant's own screen. After a short screen calibration, faint striped patches tilt left or right at five stripe widths, and participants press an arrow key for the tilt. A staircase for each stripe width finds the faintest patch the person sees.
8 to 10 minutes · Desktop or laptop
AEvidence463 papers, up 6% Cancellation Test
Measures visual search and how attention spreads across the left and right of a display. Participants mark every star among other shapes, then press Done. Scores include stars found, misses on each side and the center of cancellation.
3 to 6 minutes · Desktop, laptop or tablet
AEvidence459 papers, up 10%Attentional Blink Task
Measures the attentional blink: after spotting one target in a rapid stream, people often miss a second target that follows within about half a second. Letters flash at 10 per second; participants report the two digits hidden in the stream.
8 to 10 minutes · Desktop or laptop
CEvidence332 papers, down 10%- Papers rising fastest
Perceptual Confidence Task
Measures how well confidence tracks accuracy (metacognitive sensitivity). Two boxes of dots flash briefly; participants choose the box with more dots and rate how sure they are. A staircase keeps accuracy near 71%.
8 to 10 minutes · Desktop or laptop
CEvidence306 papers, up 87% Random Dot Motion Task
Measures how much coherent motion a person needs to judge its direction. In a field of moving dots, a share of the dots drifts left or right while the rest move at random. Participants press an arrow key for the direction as soon as they have decided.
7 to 9 minutes · Desktop or laptop
BEvidence291 papers, down 7%Emotional Stroop Task
Measures how much emotional words slow color naming. Negative, positive and neutral words appear in red, green, blue or yellow ink, and participants press the key for the ink color, ignoring the word.
3 to 5 minutes · Desktop or laptop
BEvidence263 papers, down 14%Temporal Order Judgment Task
Measures how far apart in time two brief flashes must be for a person to tell which came first. Two disks flash left and right of a cross, 17 to 200 ms apart, and participants press an arrow key for the side that flashed first.
7 to 9 minutes · Desktop or laptop
CEvidence251 papers, down 24%Sustained Attention to Response
Measures sustained attention and response inhibition. Digits 1 to 9 appear at a fixed pace, and participants press for every digit except 3, which appears on about 11% of trials.
5 to 7 minutes · Desktop or laptop
BEvidence250 papers, up 56%Backward Masking Task
A measure of early visual processing speed. A ring with a gap on one side flashes for about 33 ms, and a pattern of lines then covers the same place after one of six fixed intervals, each shown equally often. Participants press the arrow key that points to the gap. The score is the target-to-mask interval at which 75 percent of answers are right.
4 to 6 minutes · Desktop or laptop
CEvidence240 papers, down 32%Visual Illusions Test
A measure of how strongly three classic illusions change judged size. In the Muller-Lyer, Ebbinghaus and Ponzo figures, participants choose the longer line or the larger circle, and staircases find the size at which the two look equal. The same pairs with nothing around them measure any side bias. A larger illusion is not a better score.
8 to 9 minutes · Desktop, tablet or phone
CEvidence234 papers, up 4%Navon Global-Local Task
Measures attention to the whole and to its parts. A large H or S is made of small H or S letters. Participants name the large letter in one block and the small letters in the other, pressing S or H.
3 to 5 minutes · Desktop or laptop
CEvidence231 papers, down 18%Line Bisection Test
Measures how attention is spread between the left and right of space. Lines of six lengths appear one at a time on the left, in the center and on the right, and participants mark the middle of each. The main score is the mean deviation of the marks from the true middle, with rightward deviations positive.
3 to 5 minutes · Desktop, laptop or tablet
BEvidence224 papers, down 22%Composite Face Task
Measures holistic face processing. Participants judge whether the top halves of two faces match, ignoring the bottom halves, when aligned or shifted apart.
8 to 10 minutes · Desktop or laptop
CEvidence214 papers, down 26%Visual Crowding Test
Measures how far apart neighboring shapes must be before they stop a person from naming a shape seen out of the corner of the eye. While the participant looks at a central cross, three T shapes in a row, or one alone, flash for 150 ms to its left or right, with the neighbors at one of six fixed spacings. Participants press the arrow key for the side of the middle T's bar. The score is the spacing, as a share of the distance from the cross, at which 75 percent of answers are right.
5 to 6 minutes · Desktop or laptop
CEvidence196 papers, up 18%Negative Priming Task
Measures how much ignoring a shape slows the response to it on the next trial. Two outlined shapes overlap, and participants press the key for the red one and ignore the blue one. On about half the trials the red shape is the one just ignored.
4 to 5 minutes · Desktop or laptop
CEvidence190 papers, down 15%Inhibition of Return Task
Measures the slowing to detect a target at a place attention was drawn to half a second or more before. A side box flashes, then the middle box, and a dot appears in the box that flashed or in the other box; participants press the space bar as soon as they see it. The flash does not predict where the dot appears.
6 to 8 minutes · Desktop or laptop
CEvidence156 papers, down 28%Field of View Speed Test
A measure of how long a display must stay on for a person to take it in. A shape flashes at the center, alone, with a dot near the edge of the screen, or with the dot among outlined squares, and random lines then cover it. The display times are a fixed list, each shown equally often. The score is the time needed for 75 percent correct.
8 to 10 minutes · Desktop or laptop
BEvidence123 papers, down 26%Attentional Capture Task
Measures how much a shape in an odd color slows the search for the shape that matters. Six shapes ring the center of the screen; participants find the one diamond among circles and press F or J for the direction of the line inside it. On half the trials one circle has a different color.
5 to 7 minutes · Desktop or laptop
CEvidence122 papers, up 85%Hidden Shapes Test
A measure of finding a simple shape hidden in a complex drawing, after the embedded figures paradigm. Each screen shows a shape above three line drawings, and participants choose the drawing that hides it at the same size and turn. The drawings get busier in three levels. The main score is the number of shapes found, with the median time to find them.
5 to 8 minutes · Desktop, laptop or tablet
BEvidence116 papers, down 22%Contextual Cueing Task
Measures learning of repeated visual layouts during search. Participants find a T turned left or right among L shapes and press F or J for its direction. In every block 8 layouts repeat and 8 are new, and search usually gets faster on the repeated ones. The main score is this cueing effect in ms over the last two parts.
8 to 11 minutes · Desktop or laptop
CEvidence102 papers, down 20%Line Angle Matching
A measure of judging the angle of lines. Each item shows two short lines above a fan of 13 numbered lines, 15 degrees apart, and participants choose the two fan lines at the same angles. The 32 items come in left and right mirror pairs and are the same for everyone, with no time limit. The score is the percent of items with both lines right.
6 to 8 minutes · Desktop, laptop or tablet
CEvidence95 papers, up 9%Multiple Object Tracking
Measures how many moving objects a person can follow at once. Two to five of ten identical dots flash, then all the dots move for 6.5 seconds, and participants click the dots that flashed. The main score is the share of flashed dots found.
7 to 9 minutes · Desktop or laptop
CEvidence68 papers, down 20%Rapid Visual Information Processing
Measures sustained attention and vigilance by asking participants to detect target digit sequences in a rapid stream.
4 to 5 minutes · Desktop or laptop
CEvidence67 papers, down 24%Triplet Odd-One-Out Task
Measures object similarity judgments with the triplet odd-one-out method. Participants see three object pictures and choose the one least like the other two. Scores how often choices agree with the choice most people are expected to make, and how consistent repeated choices are.
5 to 7 minutes · Desktop, tablet or phone
CEvidence53 papers, up 179%Immediate and Delayed Memory Task
Measures impulsive responding and attention in a stream of five-digit numbers. Participants press the spacebar when a number repeats the one they compare it with, the number just before it or, in the delayed part, the last one before three showings of 12345, and hold back when only one digit changed. The main score is commission errors divided by correct detections in the immediate part.
10 to 12 minutes · Desktop or laptop
CEvidence33 papers, down 3%Clock Vigilance Test
Measures vigilance, the ability to keep spotting rare events over a long, dull watch. A pointer steps around a plain clock face once a second, and participants press the space bar whenever it jumps two steps at once. Detections are scored by quarter of the session to show the vigilance decrement.
12 to 13 minutes · Desktop or laptop
CEvidence30 papers, up 100%Figure Matching Test
A measure of reflection and impulsivity: how carefully people compare similar figures before choosing. Each screen shows a figure above six that look almost the same, and participants choose the one that is exactly the same, choosing again after a wrong choice until they find it. The main score is the number of wrong choices, with the mean time to the first choice.
7 to 10 minutes · Desktop, laptop or tablet
CEvidence16 papers, down 43%Inspection Time Task
A measure of how quickly the eye and brain take in a simple display. Two lines joined at the top, one clearly longer, flash for one of nine fixed durations from about 17 to 200 ms, each shown equally often, and a pattern of lines then covers them. Participants press the arrow key for the side of the longer line, with no time limit. The score is the display duration at which 75 percent of answers are right.
5 to 6 minutes · Desktop or laptop
CEvidence11 papers, about the same
How often researchers use them
Papers that name each test, counted for our test census. Tests counted together share a bar. Counts and grades describe the published research on each task, not ConductCognition's version of it.
- Eriksen Flanker Task1,472 papers
- Oddball Target Detection1,392 papers
- Visual Search Test1,132 papers
- Continuous Performance Test1,014 papers
- Psychomotor Vigilance Task972 papers
- Biological Motion Task624 papers
- Dot-Probe Task and Food-Picture Dot-Probe608 papers
- Attention Network Test562 papers
- Posner Cueing538 papers
- Choice Reaction Time478 papers
- Contrast Sensitivity Test463 papers
- Cancellation Test459 papers
- Attentional Blink Task332 papers
- Perceptual Confidence Task306 papers
- Random Dot Motion Task291 papers
- Emotional Stroop Task263 papers
- Temporal Order Judgment Task251 papers
- Sustained Attention to Response250 papers
- Backward Masking Task240 papers
- Visual Illusions Test234 papers
- Navon Global-Local Task231 papers
- Line Bisection Test224 papers
- Composite Face Task214 papers
- Visual Crowding Test196 papers
- Negative Priming Task190 papers
- Inhibition of Return Task156 papers
- Field of View Speed Test123 papers
- Attentional Capture Task122 papers
- Hidden Shapes Test116 papers
- Contextual Cueing Task102 papers
- Line Angle Matching95 papers
- Multiple Object Tracking68 papers
- Rapid Visual Information Processing67 papers
- Triplet Odd-One-Out Task53 papers
- Immediate and Delayed Memory Task33 papers
- Clock Vigilance Test30 papers
- Figure Matching Test16 papers
- Inspection Time Task11 papers
Source: ConductCognition test census 0.14.0, counted 31 October 2026 from OpenAlex and ClinicalTrials.gov.
Show the numbers
| Test | Papers, 2021 to 2025 | Compared with 2016 to 2020 | Use grade | Evidence grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eriksen Flanker Task | 1,472 | Up 17% | A | A |
| Oddball Target Detection | 1,392 | Down 1% | A | A |
| Visual Search Test | 1,132 | Down 2% | A | B |
| Continuous Performance Test | 1,014 | Down 12% | A | A |
| Psychomotor Vigilance Task | 972 | Up 32% | B | A |
| Biological Motion Task | 624 | Down 2% | B | C |
| Dot-Probe Task and Food-Picture Dot-Probe | 608 | Down 19% | B | A |
| Attention Network Test | 562 | Up 14% | B | A |
| Posner Cueing | 538 | Down 6% | B | B |
| Choice Reaction Time | 478 | Down 12% | B | A |
| Contrast Sensitivity Test | 463 | Up 6% | B | A |
| Cancellation Test | 459 | Up 10% | B | A |
| Attentional Blink Task | 332 | Down 10% | B | C |
| Perceptual Confidence Task | 306 | Up 87% | B | C |
| Random Dot Motion Task | 291 | Down 7% | C | B |
| Emotional Stroop Task | 263 | Down 14% | C | B |
| Temporal Order Judgment Task | 251 | Down 24% | C | C |
| Sustained Attention to Response | 250 | Up 56% | C | B |
| Backward Masking Task | 240 | Down 32% | C | C |
| Visual Illusions Test | 234 | Up 4% | C | C |
| Navon Global-Local Task | 231 | Down 18% | C | C |
| Line Bisection Test | 224 | Down 22% | C | B |
| Composite Face Task | 214 | Down 26% | C | C |
| Visual Crowding Test | 196 | Up 18% | C | C |
| Negative Priming Task | 190 | Down 15% | C | C |
| Inhibition of Return Task | 156 | Down 28% | C | C |
| Field of View Speed Test | 123 | Down 26% | C | B |
| Attentional Capture Task | 122 | Up 85% | C | C |
| Hidden Shapes Test | 116 | Down 22% | C | B |
| Contextual Cueing Task | 102 | Down 20% | C | C |
| Line Angle Matching | 95 | Up 9% | D | C |
| Multiple Object Tracking | 68 | Down 20% | D | C |
| Rapid Visual Information Processing | 67 | Down 24% | D | C |
| Triplet Odd-One-Out Task | 53 | Up 179% | D | C |
| Immediate and Delayed Memory Task | 33 | Down 3% | D | C |
| Clock Vigilance Test | 30 | Up 100% | D | C |
| Figure Matching Test | 16 | Down 43% | E | C |
| Inspection Time Task | 11 | About the same | E | C |
What the grades mean
- Use grade
- A: 1,000 or more papers from 2021 to 2025
- B: 300 to 999 papers from 2021 to 2025
- C: 100 to 299 papers from 2021 to 2025
- D: 30 to 99 papers from 2021 to 2025
- E: fewer than 30 papers from 2021 to 2025
- Evidence grade
- A: 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
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