PEBL Hub — IRB Fact Sheet — 2026-08-23
Connections Task
Category:Executive Function
Duration:~10 minutes
Parameters:4 configurable parameters available
Version:1.0
Input:Mouse, Touch
Description
A variant of the Trail Making Test requiring participants to connect circles in sequence using numbers (1-2-3-4), letters (A-B-C-D), or alternating patterns (1-A-2-B or A-1-B-2). Tests cognitive flexibility, task switching, and visual search speed.
Notes
- Based on Zahlen Verbindungs Test (Oswald & Roth, 1978)
Key Parameters
| inputdevice | Input device (mouse or touch) (default: mouse) |
| width | Grid width (number of columns) (default: 7) |
| height | Grid height (number of rows) (default: 7) |
| timelimit | Time limit per trial in seconds (-1 for no limit) (default: 20) |
| demo_override | Run short demo version (1=demo with reduced grid, 0=full test) (default: 0) |
Scoring & Interpretation
Primary measure: Completion time (time column) for each trial type.
Efficiency: Compare numclicks to length - perfect performance has numclicks = length.
Path quality: Lower sumdist indicates more efficient spatial path.
Efficiency: Compare numclicks to length - perfect performance has numclicks = length.
Path quality: Lower sumdist indicates more efficient spatial path.
Example Data Output (2 sample rows)
| subnum | type | trial | width | height | length | sumdist | anglesum | sumoptions | entropy | numclicks | lastclick | rt | time | s001 | s002 | s003 | s004 | s005 | s006 | s007 | s008 | s009 | s010 | s011 | s012 | s013 | s014 | s015 | s016 | s017 | s018 | s019 | s020 | s021 | s022 | s023 | s024 | s025 | s026 | s027 | s028 | s029 | s030 | s031 | s032 | s033 | s034 | s035 | s036 | s037 | s038 | s039 | s040 | s041 | s042 | s043 | s044 | s045 | s046 | s047 | s048 | s049 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| oetuh | numletter | 1 | 7 | 7 | 27 | 28.8995 | 31 | 156 | 7.12615 | 29 | 27 | 20044 | 21308 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 31 | 23 | 15 | 22 | 29 | 30 | 36 | 43 | 44 | 37 | 38 | 45 | 39 | 46 | 47 | 40 | 48 | 41 | 33 | 32 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 34 | 28 | 35 | 42 | 49 |
| oetuh | num | 2 | 7 | 7 | 35 | 38.5563 | 59 | 156 | 11.2117 | 36 | 35 | 20023 | 22681 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 15 | 16 | 22 | 23 | 29 | 36 | 43 | 44 | 37 | 30 | 24 | 31 | 32 | 38 | 45 | 46 | 39 | 47 | 40 | 48 | 41 | 33 | 25 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 19 | 26 | 34 | 27 | 20 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 14 | 21 | 28 | 35 | 42 | 49 |
References
Salthouse, T. A., Toth, J., Daniels, K., Parks, C., Pak, R., Wolbrette, M., et al. (2000). Effects of aging on the efficiency of task switching in a variant of the Trail Making Test. Neuropsychology, 14, 102-111.
Oswald, W. D., & Roth, E. (1978). Der Zahlen-Verbindungs Test (ZVT). Gottingen, Germany: Hogrefe.