Multi-Target Tracking: How Many Things Can You Follow at Once?

Think about crossing a busy road or watching a football match. You are keeping an eye on several moving things at once. Multi-Target Tracking turns that into a simple test.

How to play

Some balls light up gold for a moment. Remember them. They all turn white and move around. When they stop, click the ones you were tracking. Level 1 asks you to find 1 of 6; level 7 asks for 6 of 12. Miss one and the test ends.

Where the test comes from

In 1988, Zenon Pylyshyn and Ron Storm published the first multiple object tracking experiments. People could follow several identical moving targets among identical distractors, which surprised researchers: you cannot do it by remembering what the targets look like, only by keeping attention on them.

Across many studies, most people can track around four objects reliably. The exact number drops when objects move faster or come close together.

What the task uses

Mainly sustained, divided attention: spreading your focus across several moving items without losing any. Keeping your eyes near the centre of the group often works better than chasing one ball.

Training and the evidence

Tools such as NeuroTracker use this kind of task to train athletes. People clearly get better at the task itself with practice. But a critical review in 2021 found only limited evidence that this improves real sport performance, and called for larger, better studies. So treat your progress here as progress at this task.

A worked example

On level 3 you might need to track 3 gold balls among 8. As they move, try not to follow one ball with your eyes. Instead, look at a point roughly in the middle of the group and keep all three in your attention at once. When the balls stop, click the ones you are sure of first, then the one you are least sure of.

Common mistakes

Following a single ball with your eyes is the most common mistake: you keep that one and lose the rest. Another is panicking when two balls cross. Crossings are where most tracks are lost, so watch them closely. Playing on a small phone screen also makes the task harder, because the balls are closer together.

Questions people ask

How many balls can people track? Most people manage around four reliably in research tasks, fewer when the objects move fast or close together.

Why do I lose them when they touch? Identical objects that come close are easy to swap in your attention.

Does this improve sport performance? Evidence for that is limited. Improvement on the task itself is real.

Tips

Breathe, relax your eyes and look at the whole group rather than one ball. Not medical advice: stop if you feel dizzy or strained.