Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT)
A short task introduced to study reflection and decision making, with numeracy and prior exposure relevant.
Performance task The format describes how observations are obtained, not an evidence rating.
What it measures
The tendency or ability to reconsider an initially appealing response on specified problems.
What people do
The original 2005 version uses three problems. Expanded and nonnumeric versions are distinct tasks, not interchangeable item substitutions.
What the scores mean
A correct-answer count summarizes performance on those items. It does not directly measure the time spent reflecting or reveal one general reasoning style.
This explains the logic of a score. It does not supply a test form, individual result or administration manual.
Development and versions
Shane Frederick introduced the original CRT in 2005, relating scores to time and risk preferences.
Evidence: (Frederick, 2005); (Spielman et al., 2020)
Reliability and validity evidence
The inspected primary abstract reports relationships with decision choices and other cognitive measures. It does not establish a universally reliable three-item trait score or that reflection alone caused the associations.
Evidence belongs to a version, sample and interpretation. Read the source notes for what was actually inspected.
Evidence: (Frederick, 2005); (Spielman et al., 2020)
Where it is used
Research on reasoning and choice, with attention to numeracy, task familiarity and the selected version.
Limits and common misreadings
- Previously seeing an answer can change what a correct response means.
- Arithmetic skill and reflection are partly separable questions.
- Three familiar problems do not establish a person’s overall rationality.
Read an example
Original teaching example
In an original teaching scenario, two people answer correctly: one checks the initial response, the other recognizes a previously seen solution. A total-correct score cannot distinguish these processes without further information.
Constructed for learning; this is not a result from the instrument’s validation study.
Access and permission
Check the selected items’ rights and research-use terms. Original CRT questions and their answers are not reproduced here.
Textbook connection
Related contextPsychology 2e: 2.2 Approaches to Research
Conceptual context; the instrument-specific sources in this profile provide the primary evidence.
Related measures
Read a measure critically · Explore score examples · Review research methods
Sources and inspection notes
Checked October 22, 2026. An inspection date is not a publication date. Publisher information is not presented as independent validation; abstract-only and indexed-excerpt access are identified below.
- Frederick, S. (2005). Cognitive reflection and decision making. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 19(4), 25–42. https://doi.org/10.1257/089533005775196732Consulted sourcePrimary research: publisher abstract
Original three-item test purpose and reported relations with choices inspected. Original questions and answers are not reproduced.
- Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/2-2-approaches-to-researchTextbook: conceptual context
Conceptual context; the instrument-specific sources in this profile provide the primary evidence.