This game is based on cognitive neuropsychology. It measures attention, reaction time, rule switching, cognitive flexibility, and how quickly the participant adapts when the task changes from CHASE to DEFEND.
Score: 0
Round: 1/40
Level: 1
Lives: ♥♥♥
Switch Cost: —
Brain Guide: Read the rule carefully. Fast and correct responses show stronger attention and cognitive control.
🙂
COGNITIVE COACH
CHASE — Click a RED runner
Red circle = Runner (R)
SWITCH!
LVL 2
Level Up!
Time limit reduced to 2.5s
Game Over
Participant · Easy
Final Score
0
Accuracy
0%
Repeat RT
—ms
Switch RT
—ms
Switch Cost (Switch RT − Repeat RT)
—ms
Level Reached
1
Trials Completed
0
Cognitive Performance Analysis
Cognitive flexibility analysis will appear here after the task.
Your switch cost reflects the extra milliseconds your brain needed to reconfigure when the rule changed — the cognitive signature of task switching.
Brain Guide Summary: In cognitive psychology, better performance usually means the participant maintained attention, responded accurately, and shifted rules with less mental delay. Mistakes or slow responses may indicate higher cognitive load, distraction, or difficulty inhibiting the previous rule.
⏳ Sending data to researcher sheet...
🏆 Leaderboard
Top scores across all sessions
How to Play
🟥
CHASE Rule (Orange Banner)
Click a RED circle labelled "R" — these are runners. You are the chaser trying to tag them.
⬜
DEFEND Rule (Blue Banner)
Click a WHITE circle labelled "C" — these are chasers. You are defending them from being tagged.
🔴
Switch Trials (Red Banner Flash)
When the banner turns red, the rule has switched from last round. Stay alert — this is where the cognitive cost happens.
⏱️
Timer
The bar at the bottom drains each round. Respond before it runs out or you lose a life. Harder difficulty = less time.
📊
Switch Cost
Your key measure: Switch RT minus Repeat RT in milliseconds. A positive number means your brain took extra time to switch rules — that's the cognitive cost of task switching.
⬆️
Levels
Every 10 rounds you level up. Time limits get shorter, more players appear, and switch probability increases. Reach Level 4 — Expert!
🧠 Brain Guide
What your brain does during each trial
🤯
Prefrontal Cortex
Your brain’s control centre. It holds the current rule in working memory, actively suppresses the old rule on switch trials, and directs all other regions.
Most active on: Switch trials · Rule loading · Inhibition
⚡
Anterior Cingulate Cortex
The conflict detector. It fires when it notices the new cue does not match the active rule and sends an alert: “something changed — reconfigure now.”
Most active on: The exact moment of rule switch detection
📋
Working Memory
The brain’s sticky note. It keeps the current rule active during the trial. On switch trials, it must erase the old rule and load the new one.
Active throughout every trial · Taxed most on switch trials
👁️
Visual Cortex
Processes the field by detecting red vs white circles, their positions, and which one matches the current rule. It works in parallel with other regions.
Active throughout: Scanning the field each trial
🎯
Basal Ganglia
Selects the correct response and suppresses competing wrong options. It helps make the final decision: “click this circle, not the others.”
Most active on: Response selection · Suppressing wrong options
🖱️
Motor Cortex
Sends the final signal to your hand and finger to click. This is the last step after attention, rule checking, and response selection.
Active on: Every trial at the moment of clicking
Switch Cost Timeline
Cue → ACC detects change → PFC suppresses old rule → Working memory loads new rule → Visual cortex scans → Basal ganglia selects → Motor cortex clicks