Dot Probe Task
A cognitive psychology experiment measuring attentional bias toward emotional stimuli
Show More Information
What is the Dot Probe Task?
The Dot Probe Task is a widely used cognitive psychology experiment designed to measure attentional bias toward emotional stimuli. Developed by MacLeod, Mathews, and Tata in 1986, this task helps researchers understand how individuals allocate their attention when presented with both neutral and emotionally charged information.
How Does It Work?
In this task, you will see a fixation cross (+++) in the center of the screen, followed by two words appearing simultaneously - one at the top and one at the bottom position. One word will be emotionally neutral, while the other will be emotionally charged (related to anxiety). After a brief display, both words will disappear, and a probe (*) will appear in the location of one of the words. Your task is to respond as quickly as possible by pressing: - Press 'A' if the probe appears at the top position - Press 'L' if the probe appears at the bottom position The experiment measures your reaction time to detect probes that replace either neutral or emotionally charged words.
What Does It Measure?
The Dot Probe Task measures attentional bias by comparing reaction times to probes that replace emotional versus neutral stimuli. Faster responses to probes replacing emotional words suggest that attention was already directed toward that location, indicating an attentional bias toward emotional content. This task is particularly useful in studying anxiety, depression, and other conditions where attentional biases may play a role in maintaining symptoms.
References
- MacLeod, C., Mathews, A., & Tata, P. (1986). Attentional bias in emotional disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 95(1), 15-20.
- Mogg, K., & Bradley, B. P. (2005). Selective attention and anxiety: The role of threat. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 9(8), 402-407.
- Bar-Haim, Y., Lamy, D., Pergamin, L., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2007). Threat-related attentional bias in anxious and nonanxious individuals: A meta-analytic study. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 1-24.
Related Experiments
Attentional Blink
FeaturedReflects processing limitations when two targets appear in close succession in a rapid serial visual presentation.
Inhibition of Return (IOR)
FeaturedMeasures how attention is inhibited from returning to a previously attended location.
Posner Cueing Task
FeaturedStudies how spatial cues guide visual attention and affect reaction times.
Learn More
APM Test - Actions Per Minute
FeaturedMeasure your clicking speed and visual reaction time. Click numbers from 50 to 1 as fast as possible!
Free IQ Test
FeaturedTest your intelligence quotient with this free IQ test covering pattern recognition, logical reasoning, and spatial skills.
Cognitive Processing and Performance Mindset Scale
FeaturedAssess cognitive processing and performance mindset across standard dimensions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have another question? Let us know.
What does the dot probe measure?
Attentional bias: whether you respond faster to a probe that appears where an emotional word — for example, an anxiety-related one — just was, compared with a neutral word.
How is the bias calculated?
As a position-congruence difference: mean RT on trials where the probe appears at the neutral word's location (incongruent) minus mean RT where it appears at the threat word's location (congruent), computed over correct responses with RT ≥ 200 ms. A positive score means you detected probes faster when they replaced threat words — an attentional bias toward threat.
What does a bias toward threat mean?
A modest threat bias is common and not a problem by itself. Stronger biases correlate with anxiety in group studies, but individual online scores are noisy.
Can attention bias be retrained?
Attention bias modification training has produced mixed results in research. A few sessions of an online demo cannot reliably establish or change your baseline.
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.
Data Privacy
Your experiment data is processed and stored locally in your browser. No data is uploaded to any server unless you explicitly export it.
