Trail Making Task [34477]

This article applies to:
E-Prime 3.0

 
Detail

Experiment Author: Psychology Software Tools, Inc.

The Trail Making Task tests visual attention and task switching.
 
Abstract
This experiment is a version of the Trail Making Task. The goal of the task is to assess a participant's ability to quickly and accurately connect a sequence of 25 consecutive targets.
 
The first part of the test presents all numbers (e.g. 1, 2, 3, etc.) where all of the number SlideButtons need to be clicked in sequential order. The second part of the test alternates between numbers and letters (e.g. 1, A, 2, B, etc.) where the number SlideButton needs to be clicked followed by the letter. If an error is made, the participant must correct the error before continuing.
 
The participant should finish both parts as quickly as possible. The RTTime can be used as the primary performance metric as this time reflects total completion time. The error rate is not recorded but can optionally be added. The first part of the test is used primarily to examine cognitive processing speed. The second part of the test is used primarily to examine executive functioning.