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EDS minus IDSFree in-browser calculator

Attentional Set-Shifting Scorer.

Enter SD, CD, CDR, IDS, IDR, EDS, and EDR trials to criterion. Compute EDS minus IDS, reversal cost, group SEM, and CSV export.

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Validated2026-04-30
CitableMethods and citation included

Calculator

Results update in place

ASST trials-to-criterion table

Enter trials to reach 6 consecutive correct at each stage. The canonical stage order is SD, CD, CDR, IDS, IDR, EDS, EDR.

AnimalGroupSDCDCDRIDSIDREDSEDRPersev.Regress.EDS - IDSEDR - IDR
910
1011
2416

Trials to criterion by stage

Set-shifting cost

When to use

  • Score rodent ASST trials to criterion in the canonical stage order
  • Compute EDS minus IDS set-shifting cost
  • Compute EDR minus IDR reversal cost
  • Summarize groups with mean and SEM
  • Export animal-level ASST data for Prism, R, or Python

Do not use for

  • Raw touchscreen event parsing
  • Automated odor or digging-bowl trial control
  • Working-memory mazes that do not use ASST stage logic

Keep stage order fixed

ASST interpretation depends on the stage sequence SD, CD, CDR, IDS, IDR, EDS, EDR. Reordered stages change the meaning of EDS and reversal costs.

EDS cost is the core flexibility endpoint

The canonical cognitive flexibility measure is EDS trials minus IDS trials. Report the component stage values alongside the difference.

Separate shifting from discrimination deficits

If SD or CD performance is abnormal, an EDS deficit may reflect sensory, motivational, or general acquisition problems rather than flexible rule shifting.

Resources

  • Criterion defined before scoring
  • Stage order recorded as SD, CD, CDR, IDS, IDR, EDS, EDR
  • Stimulus dimensions and exemplars counterbalanced
  • Perseverative and regressive errors separated when available
  • Digging medium or operant response requirements kept stable
  • Excluded animals documented before group summaries
1

Method

Set-shifting cost is computed as EDS trials to criterion minus IDS trials to criterion. Reversal cost is computed as EDR minus IDR. Group SEM uses sample standard deviation divided by square root of n.

2

Validated

Last validated 2026-04-30. Calculations are designed for planning and documentation support; verify procurement decisions against manufacturer specifications or institutional SOPs.

3

How to cite

How to Cite

ConductScience Attentional Set-Shifting Scorer (v1.0). ConductScience, Inc. 2026. Available at: https://conductscience.com/tools/attentional-set-shifting-scorer

This tool performs descriptive ASST calculations from user-entered stage values. It does not replace protocol-specific statistics or exclusion criteria.

Attentional Set-Shifting

ASST is a staged discrimination task for cognitive flexibility. Animals progress through simple discrimination, compound discrimination, reversal stages, intradimensional shift, and extradimensional shift.

The scorer keeps each stage in the canonical order: SD, CD, CDR, IDS, IDR, EDS, EDR.

Metrics and Math

Set-shifting cost equals EDS trials to criterion minus IDS trials to criterion. This isolates the extradimensional attention shift from prior intradimensional performance.

Reversal cost equals EDR trials to criterion minus IDR trials to criterion. Group summaries use animal-level costs and report mean plus SEM.

Interpretation

A selective increase in EDS cost suggests impaired cognitive flexibility. Broad increases across SD, CD, and reversal stages may reflect motivation, sensory discrimination, motor output, or general learning effects instead.

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