Featured Partner

Your Clinical Twin: AI Support Built Around Therapeutic Expertise

Built by a psychologist, Ecko Health is an AI mental health platform designed to reduce admin burden and support continuity of care between sessions.

Designed as an extension of your clinical self, Ecko learns your style and remembers what matters across your caseload.

Our interview with Ecko’s Clinical Lead explores what it means to use AI in a way that strengthens rather than replaces the human side of therapy.

Free for clinicians
Guided by your treatment plan
Your voice, your approach, amplified

Cognitive Reflection Test


David Webb


Cognitive Reflection Test. A bat and a ball cost $1.10. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?


Did the answer 10 cents immediately spring to mind? It certainly did me for me when I first attempted to solve this puzzle and I confidently predict that 10 cents would be the answer offered by the vast majority of your students were you to present them with the puzzle in class.


Of course, once you take the time to reflect on the fact that the difference between $1.00 and 10 cents is only 90 cents, then it becomes obvious that the 10 cents answer is wrong and the correct answer is actually 5 cents.


The Bat cost: $1.05

The Ball cost: $0.05


This 'simple' but ingenious puzzle was devised by Shane Frederick as part of a 3-item Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT), which he developed to help illuminate his research into cognitive ability. The brilliant thing about the bat and ball puzzle is that to arrive at the correct solution (which is easily understood when explained) requires as Frederick states: The suppression of an erroneous answer that springs "impulsively" to mind.


Most notably addressed by Nobel Prize winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman in his book 'Thinking, Fast and Slow', the idea that we draw upon two distinct types of cognitive processes, i.e., those employed quickly with very little thought and significantly slower processes which require much more conscious deliberation is an enduring and engaging topic within psychology.


The Cognitive Reflection Test provides a great way for psychology instructors to explore 'fast' and 'slow' thinking with their students. It also provides a solid foundation from which to examine other cognitive topics such as decision making and IQ.



The Cognitive Reflection Test in Full



(1) A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? _____ cents


(2) If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets? _____ minutes


(3) In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake? _____ days


I'm sure you don't need me to tell you the answers to the other two items in the test but just in case.


2. The correct answer is 5 minutes (most people answer 100 minutes).


3. The correct answer is 47 days (most people answer 24 days)


Frederick, Shane (2005). "Cognitive Reflection and Decision Making". Journal of Economic Perspectives. 19 (4): 25-42.


About The Author


David Webb is the owner, writer and host of three websites built around his teaching and research interests; including All-About-Psychology.Com which receives over two million visits a year.


A passionate promoter of psychology through social media, over 850,000 people follow his psychology Facebook page and he is featured on the British Psychological Society list of the 100 most followed psychologists and neuroscientists on Twitter.


A bestselling author, his published work includes: The Psychology Student Guide - The Incredibly Interesting Psychology Book and, On This Day in Psychology.

Recent Articles

  1. Nihilist Penguin: Origin, Meaning, and Psychology

    May 22, 26 11:54 AM

    A lone penguin walking across ice toward distant mountains, illustrating the viral nihilist penguin meme and its psychological meaning.
    What is the nihilist penguin? Discover the origin of the viral clip, what it really shows, and why people read it as a symbol of despair, freedom, and walking away.

    Read More

  2. Psychology Articles by David Webb

    May 22, 26 11:15 AM

    Abstract illustration of a person reading with branching neural patterns, representing psychology and human insight
    Discover psychology articles by David Webb, featuring science-based insights into why we think, feel, and behave the way we do.

    Read More

  3. Sponsor a Psychology Website with Over a Million Yearly Visitors

    May 22, 26 06:49 AM

    All About Psychology platform reach: 100,000+ Substack subscribers, 200,000+ LinkedIn community, 300,000+ weekly search impressions, 1M+ social media followers
    Showcase your brand to a huge, engaged audience. Discover how to sponsor a psychology website trusted by over a million visitors a year.

    Read More

Please help support the website by visiting the All About Psychology Amazon Store to check out an awesome collection of psychology books, gifts and T-shirts.


Psychology T-Shirts on Amazon
Psychology Gifts on Amazon


Back To The Top Of The Page


Go To The Home Page