FLANKER

ATTENTION CONTROL

Difficulty Level
Session Stats
Score
0
Best
-
Lives
3
Avg RT
-

Flanker Test

Respond to the center arrow only. Ignore flanking arrows — congruent or incongruent. Use ← → keys or buttons.

How It Works & Tips

Master the game with our comprehensive guide and improvement strategies.

About This Test

About the Flanker Task

The Eriksen Flanker task measures selective attention under conflict. You respond to a center arrow while ignoring flanking arrows that may point the other way.

Congruent vs Incongruent

Congruent: all arrows agree. Incongruent: flankers oppose the center, creating response competition you must inhibit.

How to Respond

Read only the center arrow. Press Left/Right (arrows or A/D). Timeouts and wrong directions cost lives.

Difficulty

Harder modes raise incongruent rate, shorten deadlines, and reduce lives.

Metrics

Track correct responses and average RT on corrects. Fast incongruent RTs with high accuracy indicate strong conflict control.

Not Stroop

Flanker is arrow/spatial conflict. Stroop is color-word conflict. Related family, different conflict type.

Conflict Monitoring

Incongruent trials activate two response plans. Your prefrontal/attentional systems must suppress the flanker plan and express the center plan. That conflict cost shows up as slower RT and more errors.

Gaze Discipline

If your eyes jump to the leftmost arrow, you have already let the flanker into the decision. Soften peripheral awareness but keep conscious decision locked on the middle character.

Training Progression

First drive incongruent accuracy up. Then trim RT. Reversing that order often entrenches guessing on conflict trials.

Instructions & Mechanics

Quick Setup
1

Start

  • Select difficulty.
  • Initialize.
  • Place fingers on Left/Right controls.
2

Respond

  • Fixate the center character.
  • Ignore flankers.
  • Press the center direction only.
3

After Errors

  • Reset fixation to center.
  • Do not let the previous flanker direction bias the next trial.

Expert Strategies

1Tunnel on Center

Decide before peripheral arrows dominate.

2Do Not Vote With the Majority

On incongruent trials the crowd of flankers is the trap.

3Stable Gaze

Micro-scanning the whole string slows you and invites flanker capture.

4Accuracy First

Clean center decisions beat reckless speed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is congruent?

All arrows point the same way.

What is incongruent?

Flankers point opposite the center.

How is score counted?

Number of correct center responses.

Average RT?

Shown for correct responses.

A/D keys?

Yes, along with arrow keys.

Timeouts?

Count as misses and cost a life.

Why incongruent feels harder?

Competing response activation must be inhibited.

Is this Stroop?

No—different conflict dimension.

Trial count?

About 20–40 depending on difficulty.

Best tactic?

Fixate center, decide, then move.