How long does the Mental Rotation Task take?
About 3 to 5 minutes, as listed in the test library.
Spatial Cognition
Mental Rotation Task
Measure mental rotation with timed same or mirror-image judgments of turned shapes, including the rotation slope.
Useful for spatial cognition, STEM education, aging, rehabilitation, and human-factors studies.
Free to start: 10 free participants per account, then $0.99 per participant for academic research, or any yearly plan. Preview any test free after you sign up.
Working memory3-5 minTimed: desktop or laptop with a mouse or trackpad
SameMirror
← SAME
MIRROR →
Same shape or mirror image
What this task measures
Measures mental rotation. Participants judge whether a turned shape is the same as an upright shape or its mirror image.
Core constructs
- Mental rotation
- Spatial transformation
- Visuospatial processing
- Mirror-image discrimination
Research fit
- Spatial cognition research
- Aging and development studies
- Individual-differences research
- Within-study group comparison
Paradigm overview
Mental Rotation measures how quickly people turn a shape in mind. On each trial, an upright shape appears on the left and a second shape on the right. The right shape is the same shape or its mirror image, turned clockwise by 0 to 315 degrees in 45-degree steps. Participants press the left arrow key for the same shape and the right arrow key for a mirror image.
The shapes are six flat block figures, none of which matches its own mirror image at any rotation, following the two-dimensional design of Cooper (1975). Same and mirror trials are split evenly and spread evenly across the eight angles. Each trial follows a 500 ms fixation cross and allows 7 seconds to answer. Eight practice trials give feedback; scored trials do not. Shapes, angles and order come from a seed saved with the trial data.
Scores include accuracy, mean and median response time on correct trials, the rotation slope and intercept, the mirror error rate, accuracy for same and mirror trials, and the number of unanswered trials. The slope is fitted to mean correct response time on same-shape trials at each angular difference from 0 to 180 degrees, so each difference counts equally.
Key scoring outputs
Rotation Slope
ms/degreeIncrease in mean correct response time per degree of angular difference on same-shape trials.
Lower means faster rotation
Rotation Intercept
msFitted response time at 0 degrees, which covers seeing, comparing and responding.
Informational
Accuracy
proportionShare of scored trials answered correctly. Unanswered trials count as errors.
Higher is better
Mean Correct RT
msMean response time on correct trials. The median is also reported.
Lower is faster
Mirror Error Rate
proportionShare of answered mirror-image trials judged to be the same shape.
Lower is better
Same-Shape Accuracy
proportionAccuracy on trials that show the same shape.
Higher is better
Mirror-Image Accuracy
proportionAccuracy on trials that show a mirror image.
Higher is better
Task design as built
The trial sequence participants see, as the test runs in ConductCognition. Settings a researcher can change are listed below.
- Shapes
- Six flat block shapes, none of which matches its mirror image at any angle.
- Angles
- 0 to 315 degrees clockwise, in 45-degree steps.
- Keys
- Left arrow for the same shape, right arrow for a mirror image.
- Trial mix
- Same and mirror trials split evenly across the eight angles.
- Timing
- A 500 ms fixation cross, then 7 seconds to answer.
- Practice
- 8 trials with feedback.
- Rotation slope
- Fitted to the mean correct response time on same-shape trials at each angle from 0 to 180 degrees.
Running this test
Settings you can change
| Setting | Standard | Allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Number of trials | 30 | 20 to 60 |
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
- Task text: English and Italian.
- Available on: Every plan, including the free plan.
- Recruiting online? See the setup guides for Prolific, Sona Systems, CloudResearch Connect and Qualtrics.
Cite this test
ConductCognition versions: task version 2.0.0, scoring version 2.0.0. Every export records the versions each session used, for a methods section.
- Shepard, R. N., & Metzler, J. (1971). Mental rotation of three-dimensional objects. Science, 171(3972), 701-703. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.171.3972.701
- Cooper, L. A. (1975). Mental rotation of random two-dimensional shapes. Cognitive Psychology, 7(1), 20-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0285(75)90003-1Two-dimensional shapes.
Source papers
Shepard and Metzler (1971): response time rises linearly with the angle between two objects. Cooper (1975): mental rotation of random two-dimensional shapes.
Paradigm sourceAdults
Research FAQ
Common questions about this online cognitive test
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?
Rotation Slope, Rotation Intercept, Accuracy, Mean Correct RT, Mirror Error Rate, Same-Shape Accuracy and Mirror-Image Accuracy. Each session is also marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason.
Which settings can a researcher change?
Number of trials (20 to 60). Settings can be changed on yearly plans; free and pay-as-you-go studies use the standard settings.
Which languages can participants use?
The test's own text is in English and Italian. Italian participant pages come with yearly plans.
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.
Run this test in your next study
Start free with 10 free participants on any test, then use participant credits or a yearly plan.