Object Tracking
Highlighted balls start moving among identical distractors. Keep track of the targets and click them when they stop.
Based on the Multiple Object Tracking (MOT) paradigm from cognitive psychology. It measures attentional splitting — your ability to track several items at once.
Most adults can track 3–5 objects simultaneously. Athletes and gamers often score higher.
| 🎮 | Gaming | Action games dramatically improve tracking ability. |
| ⚽ | Sports | Team sports require constant multi-object tracking. |
| 😴 | Fatigue | Tiredness reduces attentional capacity sharply. |
| 🧠 | Age | Tracking capacity declines gradually after 30. |
Object Tracking Test Online (Multiple Object Tracking)
The Object Tracking Test is a visual attention assessment based on the **Multiple Object Tracking (MOT)** paradigm. This test measures your attentional splitting capacity, your brain's ability to divide its visual attention and track multiple moving targets simultaneously. Several target balls are briefly highlighted. Once they start moving, they look identical to the surrounding distractor balls. Your goal is to track the targets and select them when all motion stops.
How the Multiple Object Tracking Task Works
- Click Start Test. A set of balls will appear in the arena.
- Several target balls will flash in a distinct blue color for two seconds. Memorize them.
- All balls will turn gray and begin moving randomly, bouncing off boundaries and each other. Track the targets.
- When all movement stops, click or tap the balls you believe were the targets.
- Clicking a wrong ball costs one life (you start with 3 lives). Successfully identifying all targets advances you to the next level, increasing ball speed and the number of targets. The test ends when all lives are lost.
What is a Good Object Tracking Score?
Most healthy adults can successfully track 3 to 4 objects (levels 3 to 5). Reaching levels 5 to 8 is above average, indicating excellent visual vigilance. Achieving a score of level 8 or higher is exceptional (top 5%), showcasing highly developed spatial tracking and peripheral coordination networks.
Object Tracking Score Table
| Cognitive Tier | Highest Level Achieved | Percentile Bracket |
|---|---|---|
| Exceptional | 8+ Levels | Top 5% |
| Above Average | 5 – 8 Levels | Top 20% |
| Average | 3 – 5 Levels | Middle 50% |
| Developing | Under 3 Levels | Bottom 25% |
The Science of Attentional Splitting (MOT)
First introduced in cognitive science by Zenon Pylyshyn and Ron Storm in 1988, Multiple Object Tracking is a fundamental tool for studying visual attention. Rather than having a single spotlight of attention that moves from item to item, research shows the human brain can split its attention into multiple distinct "indexes" (called FINSTs, or Fingers of Instantiation). This tracking is handled by the **posterior parietal cortex** and the **frontal eye fields**. For most people, this system is physically capped at tracking 4 items due to visual-working-memory resource limits and hemispheric division constraints.
Tips and Strategies for Multiple Object Tracking
- Use Centroid Tracking (The "Soft Eye" Strategy): Don't try to dart your eyes from ball to ball as they move. Instead, fixate your gaze on the geometric center (centroid) of the target group. Keep your eyes steady in the middle of the arena and use your peripheral vision to track the target group as a single expanding and morphing shape.
- Mental Polygon Grouping: Imagine the target balls are connected by lines, forming a geometric shape (e.g., a triangle or a quad). Focus on tracking the shape as it stretches, rotates, and distorts rather than tracking individual independent points.
- Avoid High Motion Blur displays: If your screen has a low refresh rate or poor response times, moving balls will leave trail ghosts, making it easy to lose targets in high-speed levels. A high-refresh-rate monitor (120Hz+) reduces this blur.
- Breathe and Stabilize: Rushing to click immediately when the movement stops can lead to errors. Take a second to review the final layout before selecting your targets.
Multiple Object Tracking FAQ
What does the MOT test evaluate?
It evaluates split-attention capacity, visual working memory, spatial orientation, and peripheral awareness. It is widely used in sports psychology, aviation screening, and military recruitment.
Do video games improve object tracking?
Yes. Action video game players (especially in fast-paced genres like first-person shooters, real-time strategy, and MOBAs) consistently show significantly higher object-tracking capacities compared to non-gamers. They can track up to 6 or 7 objects simultaneously due to trained attentional resource allocation.
How does physical fatigue impact visual tracking?
Visual tracking requires high attentional load and quick cognitive processing. When fatigued or sleep-deprived, your brain struggle to refresh visual indexes, causing target tracks to "slip" and drop scores by 2 to 4 levels.