Divided Visual Attention
Multiple Object Tracking
Track highlighted targets as they move through a crowd of identical distractors. Identify the original targets when motion stops.
What does the Multiple Object Tracking test measure?
It measures divided visual attention — your ability to simultaneously track several moving target objects among identical distractors, then identify the original targets after the motion stops. Target count and speed increase across six rounds, stressing how many objects your attention can maintain in parallel.
How should you interpret your MOT result?
Accuracy on rounds 4–6, where you track 3–4 targets among 9–11 fast distractors, is the most informative range. The classic attentional capacity is about 3 to 5 objects simultaneously. Scores below that often reflect not that you cannot track but that you are chasing individual objects instead of using a grouped spatial strategy.
How does divided visual attention connect to learning?
Real studying often requires holding several moving pieces in attention at once: variables in an equation, claims in an argument, changes in a codebase, or linked structures in a diagram. Strong dynamic attention helps you preserve the important objects while irrelevant motion or noise competes for focus.
Why does Vidbyte include Multiple Object Tracking?
MOT is one of the most direct browser-based measures of how many simultaneous elements a learner can actively monitor. Vidbyte uses it to understand attentional capacity in contexts where multi-part problems, complex diagrams, or dense code reviews push the limits of parallel visual processing.
Research basis
Research Basis
Pylyshyn and Storm MOT
The original MOT paradigm showed people can track several identical moving targets among distractors.
Tracking limits
Performance declines as target number, speed, and crowding increase; people often track about four objects.
Attention distribution
MOT research shows attention is dynamically allocated toward targets under higher spatial demand.
Tracking multiple targets
Cavanagh and Alvarez review how attention selects and maintains multiple moving targets.
What MOT reveals
Scholl uses multiple-object tracking findings to discuss objecthood, attention, and dynamic visual cognition.