Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART)
The Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) is a cognitive assessment that measures your ability to maintain attention over time and inhibit prepotent responses. Press the space bar for each digit except the target number to complete the task.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the trial structure?
In each trial, a digit appears briefly, followed by a mask. You must respond quickly except when the digit is the designated no-go target.
How is feedback provided?
At the end of each block, you will see summary statistics including total go trials, commission errors, no-go trials, and omission errors.
What does SART measure?
SART measures sustained attention and response inhibition ability. It's particularly sensitive to attention lapses and impulsive responding.
How long does the experiment take?
The complete experiment takes approximately 5 minutes, including both practice and main testing blocks.
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About This Implementation
The timing of events and stimulus sizes follow the original Robertson study. The digit is present for 250 ms and the mask for 900 ms. There are five different font sizes (48, 72, 94, 100, and 120 px). The mask is a solid rounded square in a muted theme color; the digit and the surrounding panel use the site theme colors rather than a fixed white-on-black scheme.
Experiment Structure
The experiment consists of a training block (18 trials) and a real test block (225 trials). In the training block, each digit 1-9 is used exactly 2 times, while in the real block, each digit is used 25 times. Each block's sequence is fully shuffled, so the same digit can appear on consecutive trials.
Feedback and Results
Participants receive feedback about the number and percentage of mistakes after both the training and real blocks. The typical outcome shows higher error rates in rare no-go trials compared to frequent go trials.
Historical Background
The SART was designed by Robertson and colleagues in 1997 as a novel continuous performance task (CPT). It was hypothesized to be a better measure of sustained attention, being less vulnerable than classic vigilance CPTs to responses becoming automatic rather than controlled.
Data Output Structure
For each trial, the following data is recorded: block name, block number, trial type (go=1, no-go=0), digit shown, stimulus size (1-5), response outcome (0=error, 1=correct), and reaction time in milliseconds.
Research Applications
The SART has been used in studies exploring attention and media multitasking, working memory and social networking engagement, and everyday attentional failures in both normal and brain-injured populations.
References
- Robertson, I. H., Manly, T., Andrade, J., Baddeley, B. T., & Yiend, J. (1997). Oops!: Performance correlates of everyday attentional failures in traumatic brain injured and normal subjects. Neuropsychologia, 35(6), 747-758. 10.1016/S0028-3932(97)00015-8
- Ralph, B. C. W., Thomson, D. R., Seli, P., Carriere, J. S. A., & Smilek, D. (2015). Media multitasking and behavioral measures of sustained attention. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 77(2), 390-401. 10.3758/s13414-014-0771-7
- Alloway, T. P., & Alloway, R. G. (2012). The impact of engagement with social networking sites (SNSs) on cognitive skills. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(5), 1748-1754.
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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.
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.
