Language
Language Switching Task
Also called: cued language switching, bilingual switching, language mixing costs
Measure the cost of switching languages. Participants follow a language cue and choose the word for a digit, with separate scores for switching, mixing and language dominance.
6-9 minTimed: desktop or laptop with a mouse or trackpad
Free to start: 10 free participants per account, then $0.99 per participant for academic research, or any yearly plan. Try it here first, with no account.
- Papers, 2021 to 2025
- 76
- Evidence grade
- D
- Registered clinical studies
- 0
4
What it measures
Measures the time cost of switching between two languages. Participants follow a language cue and choose the word for a digit in single-language and mixed-language blocks.
Constructs
- Bilingual language control
- Language switching
- Language mixing
Research uses
- Bilingualism research
- Language dominance and word selection studies
How the paradigm works
Participants choose two of eight languages, rate reading proficiency in both and report which is easier to use. A language name cues a digit, followed by four number words: the digit and another digit in both languages. Participants select the matching word in the cued language with keys or taps. Eight practice trials give feedback. Two single-language blocks have 25 trials each; two mixed blocks have 49 each. Each mixed block balances 12 repetitions and 12 switches into each language after its starting trial. Order, digits and answer positions are seeded.
Scores
- Switch Costms
- Average of the two language-specific switch costs. Each cost is median correct RT on mixed switch trials minus mixed repeat trials. Positive means slower switching.
- Research measure
- Mixing Costms
- Average of the two language-specific mixing costs: mixed repeat minus single-language median correct RT.
- Research measure
- First-Language Switch Costms
- Switch minus repeat median correct RT in the first language.
- Research measure
- Second-Language Switch Costms
- Switch minus repeat median correct RT in the other language.
- Research measure
- First-Language Mixing Costms
- Mixed repeat minus single-language median correct RT in the first language.
- Research measure
- Second-Language Mixing Costms
- Mixed repeat minus single-language median correct RT in the other language.
- Research measure
- Stronger-Language Switch Costms
- Switch cost in the language the participant reports as easier. Null when both are equally easy.
- Research measure
- Weaker-Language Switch Costms
- Switch cost in the language reported as less easy. Null for equal dominance.
- Research measure
- Switch-Cost Asymmetryms
- Stronger-language switch cost minus weaker-language switch cost. Null for equal dominance.
- Research measure
- Mixing-Cost Asymmetryms
- Stronger-language mixing cost minus weaker-language mixing cost. Null for equal dominance.
- Research measure
- Accuracy%
- Correct timely answers divided by all test trials, including missed and early responses.
- Research measure
- Median Response Timems
- Median correct response time from digit onset, excluding early responses.
- Research measure
- First-Language Readingscore
- Self-rated reading proficiency, from 1 (a few words) to 5 (fluent).
- Research measure
- Second-Language Readingscore
- Self-rated reading proficiency in the other language, from 1 to 5.
- Research measure
- Missed Responsescount
- Trials without a response within 4 seconds.
- Research measure
- Early Responsescount
- Responses under 100 ms or keys or taps before the digit.
- Research measure
- Test Trialscount
- Unique test trials in the selected run, out of 148.
- Research measure
Use and evidence
76 papers from 2021 to 2025 name this task in their title or abstract, up 33% compared with 2016 to 2020. That ranks it 285 of 582 test families in our census. See the counts for every test.
Show the numbers
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 25 |
| 2024 | 15 |
| 2023 | 18 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2021 | 13 |
| 2020 | 13 |
| 2019 | 11 |
| 2018 | 11 |
| 2017 | 11 |
| 2016 | 11 |
| 2015 | 10 |
| 2014 | 12 |
| 2013 | 4 |
| 2012 | 6 |
| 2011 | 3 |
| 2010 | 1 |
| 2009 | 4 |
| 2008 | 1 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2006 | 1 |
| 2005 | 1 |
| 2004 | 2 |
| 2003 | 0 |
| 2002 | 0 |
| 2001 | 1 |
| 2000 | 0 |
Use grade D
30 to 99 papers from 2021 to 2025.
Evidence grade D
Little published measurement evidence found.
- Papers on test-retest reliability
- 0
- Papers on reliability or validity
- 10
- Registered clinical studies using it as an outcome
- 0
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.
Note on the counts: Original number-word choice adaptation of cued spoken digit naming; no speech recorded. Norms off..
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 this task, not ConductCognition's version of it.
Source: ConductCognition test census 0.39.0, counted 8 November 2026 from OpenAlex and ClinicalTrials.gov.
Task design
The trial sequence as the test runs in ConductCognition.
- Languages
- Any two of 8 languages, reading proficiency from 1 to 5 in each, and self-reported stronger language or equal dominance.
- Choices
- Digits 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8. Four number words per trial, with both languages represented and positions shuffled.
- Practice
- 8 cued choices with feedback.
- Test trials
- 148 trials: 2 single-language blocks of 25 and 2 mixed blocks of 49. Each mixed block has 12 switches and 12 repetitions into each language after its first trial.
- Timing
- 300 ms fixation, 300 ms language cue, then digit and options for up to 4,000 ms. Response time starts with the digit.
- Order
- Seeded random order (standard), single-language first or mixed-language first. The two single-language blocks also have seeded order.
- Scores
- Switch cost, mixing cost, per-language costs and stronger-minus-weaker asymmetry. Four correct times per cell; block starts and trials after errors are excluded.
A number-word choice adaptation of spoken digit naming. Compare the same language pair, proficiency, block order and input device. These scores describe the task and are not measures of spoken fluency. No percentile output.
Quality checks
Each session is marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason, before you see its scores.
Scored rows: unique language_switching_test trials from the most complete run. Four number-word choices, chance 25%. Costs exclude block starts and trials after errors or early responses, and need four correct times in each cell. Missing or low reading proficiency is flagged. An incomplete run is flagged; fewer than half the trials invalidate. Keys or clicks before the digit count as early responses. Missed responses and responses under 100 ms follow the timed-test rule.
Why these rules
The choices have one correct answer. Language comparisons require the same language pair and input device. Proficiency and block order affect the contrast. These limits are ConductScience choices for this number-word choice adaptation.
No percentile. Scores and quality flags only.
Running this test
Settings you can change
| Setting | Standard | Allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Block order | Random (standard) | Random (standard), Single-language first, Mixed-language first |
Yearly plans can change settings within these limits. Free and pay-as-you-go studies use the standard settings.
Need a setting this test does not have?
Devices and languages
- Timed test: participants need a desktop or laptop with a mouse or trackpad. 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 Language Switching Task in a web browser (ConductCognition task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0; Meuter RFI, Allport A, 1999), with the standard settings (block order: Random). The main score was switch cost (average of the two language-specific switch costs).
ConductCognition versions: task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0. Every export records the versions each session used, for a methods section.
- Meuter, R. F. I., & Allport, A. (1999). Bilingual language switching in naming: Asymmetrical costs of language selection. Journal of Memory and Language, 40(1), 25-40. https://doi.org/10.1006/jmla.1998.2602
Source papers
Questions
How long does the Language Switching Task take?
About 6 to 9 minutes, as listed in the test library.
What device does a participant need?
Timed test: participants need a desktop or laptop with a mouse or trackpad. The browser must be Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.
What scores does it produce?
Switch Cost, Mixing Cost, First-Language Switch Cost, Second-Language Switch Cost, First-Language Mixing Cost, Second-Language Mixing Cost, Stronger-Language Switch Cost, Weaker-Language Switch Cost, Switch-Cost Asymmetry, Mixing-Cost Asymmetry, Accuracy, Median Response Time, First-Language Reading, Second-Language Reading, Missed Responses, Early Responses and Test Trials. Each session is also marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason.
How widely is the Language Switching Task used in research?
76 papers from 2021 to 2025 name it in their title or abstract, up 33% compared with 2016 to 2020. That ranks it 285 of 582 test families in the ConductCognition test census (use grade D). Source: ConductCognition test census 0.39.0, counted 8 November 2026 from OpenAlex and ClinicalTrials.gov.
How much reliability evidence does the Language Switching Task have?
In the published research, 0 papers report its test-retest reliability and 0 registered clinical studies use it as an outcome (evidence grade D in the ConductCognition test census).
Does it report a percentile?
No. Scores and quality flags only.
Which settings can a researcher change?
Block order (Random (standard), Single-language first, Mixed-language first). Settings can be changed on yearly plans; free and pay-as-you-go studies use the standard settings.
Which languages can participants use?
Participants can take this test in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified) and Japanese, with its words in the same language. 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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