How long does the Task Switching Test take?
About 6 to 8 minutes, as listed in the test library.
Executive Function
Task Switching Test
Quantify switch cost, repeat-trial performance, and mixing cost with a browser-native cued digit task.
Useful for cognitive flexibility, executive-control, aging, fatigue, and intervention 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.
Executive function6-8 minTimed: desktop or laptop with a mouse or trackpad
Odd or even?
7
High or low?
7
F
J
Follow the cue and switch rules
What this task measures
Measures task-set switching by cueing participants to classify digits by parity or magnitude.
Core constructs
- Task-set switching
- Cognitive flexibility
- Executive control
- Processing efficiency under changing rules
Research fit
- Executive-function research
- Aging and cognitive flexibility studies
- Fatigue and workload protocols
- Intervention outcome tracking
Paradigm overview
Task Switching measures cognitive flexibility by requiring participants to change between two simple classification tasks. In this implementation, each trial cues either a parity judgment or a magnitude judgment for a digit.
The scored outputs separate switch trials from repeat trials and report switch cost as the reaction-time difference between correct switch and repeat trials. Single-task blocks also support a mixing-cost estimate when enough correct responses are available.
Key scoring outputs
Switch Cost RT
msCorrect switch-trial RT minus correct repeat-trial RT.
Lower is better when accuracy is adequate
Switch Accuracy
proportionAccuracy on mixed-block trials where the task changed from the previous trial.
Higher is better
Repeat Accuracy
proportionAccuracy on mixed-block trials where the same task repeated.
Higher is better
Mixing Cost RT
msCorrect mixed-block RT minus correct single-task RT.
Lower is better when accuracy is adequate
Overall Accuracy
proportionProportion of scored trials answered correctly.
Higher is better
Practice Pass
0/1Indicates whether practice accuracy reached the readiness threshold.
1 indicates practice readiness
Running this test
Settings you can change
| Setting | Standard | Allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Practice trials | 16 | 8 to 40 |
| Single-task trials | 32 | 16 to 120 |
| Mixed-task trials | 72 | 32 to 200 |
| Switch probability | 0.5 | 0.25 to 0.75 |
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.
- Percentiles against a published norm, on paid plans and pay-as-you-go studies. How norms work
- Recruiting online? See the setup guides for Prolific, Sona Systems, CloudResearch Connect and Qualtrics.
Cite this test
Paradigm source: Rogers & Monsell (1995); Monsell (2003).
ConductCognition versions: task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0. Every export records the versions each session used, for a methods section.
Source papers
Monsell S (2003). Task switching. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 7(3):134-140.
Paradigm sourceN/A
Rogers RD, Monsell S (1995). Costs of a predictable switch between simple cognitive tasks. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 124(2):207-231.
Paradigm sourceN/A
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?
Switch Cost RT, Switch Accuracy, Repeat Accuracy, Mixing Cost RT, Overall Accuracy and Practice Pass. Each session is also marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason.
Does it report a percentile?
Yes. Percentiles against a published norm, on paid plans and pay-as-you-go studies. The session needs standard settings, the participant's age and no quality warnings.
Which settings can a researcher change?
Practice trials (8 to 40), single-task trials (16 to 120), mixed-task trials (32 to 200) and switch probability (0.25 to 0.75). 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.