Social Cognition
Point Subtraction Aggression Task
Also called: point subtraction aggression paradigm, PSAP
Measure aggression in response to provocation: participants earn points, take points from a programmed partner who takes theirs, or protect their points, scored by points taken per minute.
12-13 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. Preview any test free after you sign up.
- Papers, 2021 to 2025
- 28
- Evidence grade
- C
- Registered clinical studies
- 12
What it measures
Measures how often people take points away from a partner who takes points from them, when doing so earns them nothing. The partner is a computer program that follows set rules. Participants earn points by pressing a key 100 times, take a point from the partner with 10 presses, or protect their points with 10 presses.
Constructs
- Reactive aggression
- Retaliation
- Response to provocation
Research uses
- Aggression research at the group level
- Drug and hormone studies of aggressive responding
- Within-study comparison of groups or conditions
How the paradigm works
The Point Subtraction Aggression Task measures aggression in response to provocation as points taken from a partner at no gain to the participant. In a game of fixed length the participant chooses among three options: pressing A 100 times earns 1 point, pressing B 10 times takes 1 point from the partner, which nobody gets, and pressing C 10 times protects the participant's points for a while. Once started, an option must be finished. The partner takes 1 point from the participant from time to time. The partner is a computer program that follows set rules, and by default the instructions say so; in the sources participants were told the partner was another person.
More about the paradigm
The task follows the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm of Cherek (1981) and Cherek and colleagues (1997), with the timing of Skibsted and colleagues (2017): the partner takes a point after a wait of 6 to 60 s drawn from the session's seed, and finishing B or C stops it for 60 s when it has taken a point since the last protection began. Participants are told that C protects their points but not that B does too, as in the sources. Points never fall below 0. The game is played with the A, B and C keys or by clicking three buttons, and a press within 100 ms of the one before is not counted. Two questions with feedback and a 1 minute practice come first. The game lasts 10 minutes as standard and is saved minute by minute. Researchers can set 5 to 25 minutes, use a neutral partner wording, and choose the payment line.
The main score is the number of points taken from the partner per minute. The task also reports the same count, the count per point the partner took, the share of presses on B, which allows for how fast a person presses, points taken before the first provocation, protections, points earned and pressing speed. In Cherek and colleagues (1997), parolees with violent histories made more aggressive responses than nonviolent parolees, and aggressive responses correlated with most questionnaire measures of aggression. Golomb and colleagues (2007) found that a single session had acceptable validity for group comparisons, and Ellis and colleagues (2021) ran a single session online. In Skibsted and colleagues (2017), participants chose B about 1.3 times a minute, within the 0.6 to 2.2 of earlier reports. Here the partner is disclosed as a program, so rates may differ from those studies. Scores support research and do not diagnose.
Scores
- Aggressive Responses per Minutescore
- Times the participant finished option B, taking 1 point from the partner, per minute of the game.
- Higher means more points taken from the partner; not better or worse
- Aggressive Responsescount
- Times the participant finished option B in the game.
- Higher means more points taken from the partner
- Aggressive Responses per Provocationscore
- Points taken from the partner divided by the points the partner took. Blank when the partner took none.
- Higher means more points taken for each provocation
- Share of Presses on B%
- Counted presses on B divided by all counted presses, which allows for how fast a person presses.
- Higher means more of the effort went to taking points
- Aggressive Responses Before Provocationcount
- Times the participant finished option B before the partner first took a point.
- Informational
- Provocationscount
- Points the partner took from the participant.
- Informational
- Protectionscount
- Times the participant finished option C.
- Informational
- Points Earnedpoints
- Times the participant finished option A.
- Informational
- Final Pointspoints
- The participant's points at the end of the game.
- Informational
- Presses per Minutescore
- Counted presses on all three options per minute of the game.
- Depends on the keyboard or mouse; informational
- Longest Pausems
- The longest stretch of the game without a counted press.
- Quality check
- Presses Too Close Togethercount
- Presses within 100 ms of the press before, which were not counted.
- Quality check
- Times the Page Was Hiddencount
- Times the participant left the page during the game.
- Quality check
- Seconds Playedseconds
- Length of the game in the scored run.
- Quality check
Use and evidence
28 papers from 2021 to 2025 name this task in their title or abstract, up 4% compared with 2016 to 2020. That ranks it 306 of 395 test families in our census. See the counts for every test.
Show the numbers
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2024 | 8 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2021 | 7 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2017 | 7 |
| 2016 | 7 |
| 2015 | 10 |
| 2014 | 4 |
| 2013 | 4 |
| 2012 | 6 |
| 2011 | 3 |
| 2010 | 4 |
| 2009 | 3 |
| 2008 | 3 |
| 2007 | 2 |
| 2006 | 7 |
| 2005 | 4 |
| 2004 | 4 |
| 2003 | 6 |
| 2002 | 5 |
| 2001 | 5 |
| 2000 | 3 |
Use grade E
Fewer than 30 papers from 2021 to 2025.
Evidence grade C
At least 2 test-retest papers, 30 reliability or validity papers or 3 registered clinical studies.
- Papers on test-retest reliability
- 0
- Papers on reliability or validity
- 24
- Registered clinical studies using it as an outcome
- 12
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 0.14.0, counted 31 October 2026 from OpenAlex and ClinicalTrials.gov.
Task design
The trial sequence as the test runs in ConductCognition.
- Partner
- A computer program that follows set rules. The standard instructions say so; a neutral wording says only "your partner".
- Options
- A: 100 presses earn 1 point. B: 10 presses take 1 point from the partner, and nobody gets it. C: 10 presses protect the participant's points for a while. Once started, an option must be finished.
- Input
- The A, B and C keys, read without case, or a click on each option's button. Held keys and presses within 100 ms of the one before are not counted.
- Provocations
- The partner takes 1 point after a wait of 6 to 60 s, drawn in whole seconds from the session's seed. Never below 0 points.
- Protection
- Finishing B or C stops the partner for 60 s, if it has taken a point since the last protection began. Participants are told only that C protects.
- Game
- 10 minutes (standard; 5 to 25), saved one minute at a time. The screen shows the participant's points and a line for each event, not the partner's points.
- Practice
- Two questions with feedback, then a 60 s practice game with the same rules and a summary.
- Money
- Points are hypothetical by default; a setting changes the instruction line to say the study pays.
In the sources participants were told the partner was another person and earned money for points. Here the partner is a computer program, the instructions say so by default, and the points are hypothetical unless the study pays.
Quality checks
Each session is marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason, before you see its scores.
Scored rows: point_subtraction_minute from the scored run, one per minute, with no correct answer. Fewer than 30 counted presses per minute invalidate. A stretch of 60 seconds with no press, more than 10% of presses within 100 ms of the one before, or no point taken by the partner flag the session for review.
Why these rules
There is no correct option to compare with chance, so accuracy is not judged against chance. The scores are counts over a game of fixed length, so a game barely played gives counts that mean nothing; the sources ran supervised sessions and set no press limit, so these limits are ConductScience choices for unsupervised online use. Responses to provocation need a provocation, and a long pause or presses faster than a person can press point to someone who stopped or a device that repeats. A hidden tab lets the study, delay or response timers run without the participant, so a percentile is withheld after one.
No percentile. Scores and quality flags only.
Running this test
Settings you can change
| Setting | Standard | Allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Game length (minutes) | 10 | 5 to 25 |
| Partner wording | A computer program (standard) | A computer program (standard), Neutral: your partner |
| Payment line | Hypothetical points (standard) | Hypothetical points (standard), The study pays for points |
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 Point Subtraction Aggression Task in a web browser (ConductCognition task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0; Cherek, 1981; Cherek, Moeller, Schnapp & Dougherty, 1997), with the standard settings (game length (minutes): 10; partner wording: A computer program; payment line: Hypothetical points). The main score was aggressive responses per minute (times the participant finished option B, taking 1 point from the partner, per minute of the game).
ConductCognition versions: task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0. Every export records the versions each session used, for a methods section.
- Cherek, D. R. (1981). Effects of smoking different doses of nicotine on human aggressive behavior. Psychopharmacology, 75(4), 339-345. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00435849
- Cherek, D. R., Moeller, F. G., Schnapp, W., & Dougherty, D. M. (1997). Studies of violent and nonviolent male parolees: I. Laboratory and psychometric measurements of aggression. Biological Psychiatry, 41(5), 514-522. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3223(96)00059-5The three options, and more aggressive responses in parolees with violent histories.
- Skibsted, A. P., da Cunha-Bang, S., Carré, J. M., Hansen, A. E., Beliveau, V., Knudsen, G. M., & Fisher, P. M. (2017). Aggression-related brain function assessed with the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm in fMRI. Aggressive Behavior, 43(6), 601-610. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21718The 6 to 60 s waits, the 60 s protection and finishing an option before the next.
- Golomb, B. A., Cortez-Perez, M., Jaworski, B. A., Mednick, S., & Dimsdale, J. (2007). Point subtraction aggression paradigm: Validity of a brief schedule of use. Violence and Victims, 22(1), 95-103. https://doi.org/10.1891/vv-v22i1a006A single session for group comparisons.
- Geniole, S. N., MacDonell, E. T., & McCormick, C. M. (2017). The Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm as a laboratory tool for investigating the neuroendocrinology of aggression and competition. Hormones and Behavior, 92, 103-116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.04.006
- Asaoka, Y., Won, M., Morita, T., Ishikawa, E., & Goto, Y. (2021). Comparable level of aggression between patients with behavioural addiction and healthy subjects. Translational Psychiatry, 11, 375. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01502-8A 10 minute game with the A, B and C keys.
- Ellis, J. D., Grekin, E. R., Dekeyser, D., & Partridge, T. (2021). Using an online platform to administer the single-session point subtraction aggression paradigm: An initial examination of feasibility and validity. Assessment, 28(1), 310-321. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191120940042A single session run online.
Source papers
- Cherek DR, Moeller FG, Schnapp W, Dougherty DM (1997). Studies of violent and nonviolent male parolees: I. Laboratory and psychometric measurements of aggression. Biological Psychiatry, 41(5):514-522.Paradigm source, Adults
- Skibsted AP, da Cunha-Bang S, Carré JM, et al. (2017). Aggression-related brain function assessed with the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm in fMRI. Aggressive Behavior, 43(6):601-610.Paradigm source, Adults
- No normative data for this task.Paradigm source, N/A
Questions
How long does the Point Subtraction Aggression Task take?
About 12 to 13 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?
Aggressive Responses per Minute, Aggressive Responses, Aggressive Responses per Provocation, Share of Presses on B, Aggressive Responses Before Provocation, Provocations, Protections, Points Earned, Final Points, Presses per Minute, Longest Pause, Presses Too Close Together, Times the Page Was Hidden and Seconds Played. Each session is also marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason.
How widely is the Point Subtraction Aggression Task used in research?
28 papers from 2021 to 2025 name it in their title or abstract, up 4% compared with 2016 to 2020. That ranks it 306 of 395 test families in the ConductCognition test census (use grade E). Source: ConductCognition test census 0.14.0, counted 31 October 2026 from OpenAlex and ClinicalTrials.gov.
How much reliability evidence does the Point Subtraction Aggression Task have?
In the published research, 0 papers report its test-retest reliability and 12 registered clinical studies use it as an outcome (evidence grade C in the ConductCognition test census).
Does it report a percentile?
No. Scores and quality flags only.
Which settings can a researcher change?
Game length (minutes) (5 to 25), partner wording (A computer program (standard), Neutral: your partner) and payment line (Hypothetical points (standard), The study pays for points). 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. 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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