Learn about Schulte tables

The Science Behind Schulte Tables

A Schulte grid is a useful research task because it has a clear rule and a measurable response. That is different from proving broad training benefits.

What the task measures

The time to locate numbers reflects visual search, sequential target selection, motor response, and task familiarity together. Lu and colleagues studied event-related brain activity during a dual-color Schulte-grid search. Their work investigates attention mechanisms in that task, not a cure or a reading-speed intervention.

Children and adults in a study

A 2021 EEG study observed children and adults while they completed a Schulte-table task. It compared behavior and cortical activity during performance. Because it measured a task at a point in time, it does not show that repeated play improves school performance or everyday attention.

Training versus transfer

Improving at a trained exercise is expected. The harder question is whether that improvement carries to unrelated abilities. A large brain-training study by Owen and colleagues found no evidence of general improvement on untrained cognitive tests from its training programs. It did not test this exact website, but it is a reason to keep transfer claims modest.

Sources and further reading

Continue reading

Try a table · Learn about Schulte tables · How to play · FAQ