⚡ Quick Start

➤Study the target shown above the array, then find and click it as quickly as you can.

➤Feature Search uses one distinguishing feature; Conjunction Search requires the right combination of color and shape.

➤Work quickly without guessing. Wrong clicks count as errors, and the trial continues until you find the target.

Find this target

Mixed search • Mixed set size

Search Type

Test Length

Set Size

Trial1 / 40

SearchFeature

Items16

Time0.00 s

Find this target

🔍 Test Complete

Your visual search results

Average RT

—

Median RT

—

Accuracy

—

Feature RT

—

Conjunction RT

—

Errors

Feature Slope

—

Conjunction Slope

—

Trials

Back to Start

Paused

The trial clock is stopped. Resume when you are ready to continue.

📊 Recent Results

📘 Detailed Instructions

What this test measures: Visual search is the process of locating a target among competing items. The test records how quickly you find the target, how often you click a distractor, and—when several set sizes are used—how search time changes as more items are added.

Choose a Search Type, test length, and Set Size, then press Start Test.
At the top of each trial, study the target you need to find.
Scan the array and click the matching target. A wrong click counts as an error, but the trial stays active until you find the target.
Feature Search: the target differs from all distractors by one basic feature such as color or shape.
Conjunction Search: the target is defined by a combination of color and shape. Distractors share one of those target features, so the exact combination matters.
With Mixed Set Size, trials use arrays of 4, 8, 16, and 32 items. The results can then show a search-efficiency slope in milliseconds per added item.
The page automatically pauses if it becomes hidden or loses focus. You can also pause manually.

Results: Average and median reaction time summarize target-finding speed. Accuracy is correct target clicks divided by all target and distractor clicks. Feature RT and Conjunction RT separate the two search conditions. Search slope is shown only when at least two set sizes were completed for that condition. A slope at or below zero means the session showed no positive increase in search time as set size grew; small negative values can occur from ordinary trial-to-trial variation, especially in efficient Feature Search.

What Does Visual Search Test Measure?

Finding a target among distractors

Visual Search Test measures how quickly and accurately you can find a specified target in a group of other items. Each trial shows a target cue first, then an array containing that target and several distractors. Your reaction time starts when the search display is presented and ends when you select the correct target. Wrong selections are counted as errors. The test includes both Feature Search and Conjunction Search, two standard visual-search conditions. Feature Search uses a target that differs from the distractors by one basic feature, such as color or shape. Conjunction Search requires the exact combination of color and shape, so individual distractors can share part of the target's appearance.

Set size and search efficiency

With Mixed Set Size, the test uses displays of 4, 8, 16, and 32 items. This makes it possible to see how your search time changes as more items are added. Results include average reaction time, median reaction time, accuracy, errors, separate Feature and Conjunction reaction times, and search-efficiency slopes in milliseconds per item. A slope closer to zero means reaction time changed less as the display became larger. A slope at or below zero means that the session showed no positive increase in search time with set size; small negative values can occur through normal trial-to-trial variation. For another task built around systematic scanning, the Cancellation Test asks you to find and mark repeated target symbols across a larger field.

Who Benefits from a Visual Search Test?

People checking selective visual attention

This test is useful for anyone who wants a direct measure of target detection under visual distraction. Instead of asking general questions about focus, it gives you repeated timed search trials with clear right and wrong responses. The Attention Test covers a broader range of attention abilities, while Visual Search Test focuses specifically on locating relevant visual information among competing items. Because Feature and Conjunction Search are reported separately, you can also see whether your performance changes when the target is defined by one obvious feature versus a combination of features.

People interested in detail detection and hidden targets

Visual search overlaps with several other kinds of visual attention without being the same task. The Attention to Detail Test emphasizes noticing small differences and errors. The Embedded Figures Test asks you to identify a simple form hidden inside a more complex figure. Those tasks can feel related because they all require separating relevant visual information from surrounding detail, but Visual Search Test keeps the classic target-among-distractors format and measures how search time changes with the number of items.

People comparing different visual-attention challenges

If you are exploring several aspects of visual attention, it can be useful to compare this test with tasks that place different demands on perception. The Change Blindness Test focuses on noticing changes between visual scenes, while the Crowding Challenge examines how nearby visual information can make a target harder to identify. Visual Search Test instead asks a simpler question on every trial: how efficiently can you locate the specified target among distractors?

Real-World Applications of Visual Search

Scanning busy visual environments

Visual search is part of many ordinary activities. You use it when looking for a product on a crowded shelf, finding a name in a long list, locating an icon on a busy screen, checking a parking area for a particular car, or spotting a road sign among other visual information. The exact conditions are different from this test, but the underlying requirement is similar: maintain a target in mind, scan competing items, reject distractors, and respond when the target is found.

Reading your results carefully

Use repeated runs under similar conditions if you want meaningful personal comparisons. Keep the same device, screen size, Search Type, Test Length, and Set Size when comparing sessions. Reaction time can vary with fatigue, familiarity, input method, and ordinary trial-to-trial variation, so a single result should not be treated as a diagnosis or population percentile. Search-efficiency slope is most useful as a description of this test session: it shows how strongly your reaction time changed as the display became larger. Looking at reaction time together with accuracy and errors gives a more complete picture than treating any one number as the whole result.

🔍 Visual Search Test

🔍 Test Complete

Paused

You may also like