Measure selective attention, interference control, and inhibitory control
Focus on the center arrow and press the matching direction. Ignore the other arrows.
Your main result is the difference in reaction time between congruent and incongruent trials. In general, a better result means faster reaction times together with more correct answers. The strongest performance usually combines quick responses with good accuracy, especially when incongruent trials create more interference.
The Eriksen Flanker task measures selective attention and interference inhibition. Your goal is to respond to the center arrow while ignoring distracting arrows on both sides, especially when they point in the opposite direction.
Repeated practice can support distraction resistance, cleaner response selection, and better control when irrelevant information competes for attention. If you want a broader comparison of related skills, pair it with Stroop, N-Back, or Reaction Time Test.
Incongruent trials are naturally harder because the surrounding arrows compete with the center target. Sleep, fatigue, stress, rushing, and device latency can all affect your reaction time and accuracy.
Flanker tasks are widely used in cognitive psychology because they isolate selective attention and interference control in a simple format. Related training ideas also appear in Stroop-type tasks and N-Back training, both of which rely on stronger filtering and executive control. For broader context, read Flanker vs Stop Signal, attention and distractions, and the open-access meta-analysis of the Flanker task as a measure of inhibitory control.
Your attention is pulled by the side arrows. When they point in the opposite direction, the brain must suppress the distracting response and focus on the center target.
No. This is a simple cognitive task for self-tracking and comparison. It does not diagnose conditions and should not be treated as medical advice.
Sleep, stress, focus, and fatigue can change both your speed and your error rate. It is better to compare trends across multiple runs than one isolated attempt.
It can slightly. Displays and input devices introduce latency, so the fairest comparison is on the same device and browser.
Your Flanker history is saved locally in your browser on this device.
If you want related control tasks, try Stroop, N-Back, Reaction Time Test, or browse the blog for more articles on attention and inhibition.
For training and self-tracking only; not a clinical or diagnostic instrument.