Dimensional Set Shifting (ID/ED)
Learn which pattern is correct, then adapt when the rule changes — a measure of attention shifting between dimensions.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What does set shifting measure?
Cognitive flexibility — your ability to switch the rule you apply to the same stimuli, for example from sorting by color to sorting by shape.
What is an extradimensional shift?
Intradimensional shifts change examples within a familiar dimension; extradimensional shifts move attention to a completely different dimension and are typically the hardest step.
How are results interpreted?
Errors and reaction time at each stage index how costly it is to abandon a learned rule. Slower shifting is normal under fatigue; meaningful comparisons need standardized norms.
Why do researchers study this?
Set-shifting paradigms in the CANTAB tradition are sensitive to frontal-lobe function and are used in research on Parkinson's disease, depression, and obsessive-compulsive conditions.
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References
- Dias, R., Robbins, T. W., & Roberts, A. C. (1996). Dissociation in prefrontal cortex of affective and attentional shifts. Nature, 380(6569), 69-72. 10.1038/380069a0
- Downes, J. J., Roberts, A. C., Sahakian, B. J., Evenden, J. L., Morris, R. G., & Robbins, T. W. (1989). Impaired extra-dimensional shift performance in medicated and unmedicated Parkinson's disease: Evidence for a specific attentional dysfunction. Neuropsychologia, 27(11), 1329-1343. 10.1016/0028-3932(89)90128-0
- Sochat, V. V., Eisenberg, I. W., Enkavi, A. Z., Li, J., Bissett, P. G., & Poldrack, R. A. (2016). The Experiment Factory: Standardizing behavioral experiments. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 610. 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00610
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About This Experiment
This experiment is an educational adaptation for demonstration purposes. It is not a clinical diagnostic tool. Results reflect your performance in this specific session and should not be interpreted as an assessment of your cognitive abilities.
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