Online attention game

Flanker task: watch the middle arrow, not its neighbors

Also known as: Middle Arrow, flanker test, Eriksen test, arrow flanker task

A row has five or seven arrows. Say which way the middle one points: left or right. The neighboring arrows sometimes point the same way and sometimes the opposite way to throw you off. The time to answer gradually gets shorter. A round lasts one minute.

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  • 1 minuteabout 50 rows
  • Reactionand interference in milliseconds
  • No sign-up10 minutes a day
  • Progress30-day chart
What it trains

What the flanker task trains

The exercise works your ability to stay focused on what matters and not give in to distractions right next to it. When all the arrows point the same way, the answer is obvious. When the neighbors point the opposite way, your hand wants to follow them, and you have to stop yourself in time.

Your results show how many answers were right, how many mistakes and misses you had, your average reaction time and the “interference”: how many milliseconds slower you answer when the neighboring arrows get in the way.

  • You get distracted by nearby lines of textYour eyes drift to the side
  • You make mistakes when it’s noisy around youClutter drowns out what matters
  • You answer on first impressionYour hand gets ahead of your check
  • You want to know your reaction timeNumbers in milliseconds

Selective attention

Answer by the middle arrow only.

Self-control

Don’t give in to the neighboring arrows.

Reaction speed

The time to answer shrinks from 2.2 to 0.9 seconds.

Stability

At the higher levels the row appears in different places.

Rules

How to play

  1. Start

    Press “Start” and look at the cross in the center of the field.

  2. A row of arrows

    A row of five, later seven, arrows appears. Sometimes there are dashes on the sides instead of arrows.

  3. Answer by the middle one

    Tap the left or right arrow button, whichever way the middle arrow points. On a keyboard, use the ← → keys.

  4. Pace

    Four right answers in a row take you a level up: less time and more rows where the neighbors get in the way. Two mistakes or misses among the last five take you a level down.

  5. Results

    After a minute we show your points, mistakes, misses, average reaction time and interference.

Play online

Flanker test online

Answer by the middle arrow; the neighbors don’t count. You can use the arrow keys on your keyboard. Play 10 minutes a day without signing up.

Middle Arrow

Say which way the middle arrow points: its neighbors may point the other way. The classic Eriksen flanker task.

Free play left today without signing up: 10 min

Method

What the exercise is based on

This is a version of the flanker task described in 1974 by psychologists Barbara and Charles Eriksen. The original version used letters; arrows became popular later. The task is widely used to study selective attention and the suppression of interference.

Typically, answers are a few dozen milliseconds slower when the neighboring arrows point the other way. The game shows this difference in your results. A closely related skill is trained by the Stroop Test.

60 sper round45 seconds in Mix
6levelsfrom 5 to 7 arrows in a row
2.2 → 0.9 sto answerthe higher the level, the less time
Who it’s for

Which ages

Adults

A one-minute attention warm-up and a way to see how much distractions throw you off.

Kids

Not part of the “Kids” collection. A kids profile gives one and a half times more time to answer and has four levels. Suitable from age 6 if your child can confidently tell left from right.

60+

Not part of the “60+” collection. Worth a try: on the first level you have more than two seconds to answer, and the pace slows down after mistakes.

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Questions

Frequently asked questions

How are points counted?

A right answer is worth as many points as your current level, from 1 to 6, plus one more if the neighboring arrows pointed the other way. A wrong answer costs a point; a miss earns nothing.

What is “interference” in the results?

The difference between your average reaction time when the neighboring arrows point the other way and when they point the same way. The smaller it is, the less the neighbors throw you off. Compare it with your own previous rounds.

Can I play with a keyboard?

Yes, the ← and → keys work just like the buttons on the screen.

Do I need to sign up?

No, you can play 10 minutes a day right away. Free sign-up lets you keep playing, save your results, track your progress and unlock the daily workout.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes, the game runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer. There’s nothing to install.

Save your results and track your progress

Free sign-up: round history, a chart by skill and a daily workout of 5 exercises. No credit card needed.

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