Novelty Detection
Spot the symbol that just appeared
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What is the Novelty Detection?
Novelty detection is the ability to notice that something has not been seen before. It relies on recognition memory: to spot a new item, you must recognise every other item as familiar. Researchers study recognition memory with tasks that mix previously seen items with new ones and ask people to pick out which is which.
In a growing-set version of novelty detection, one new item is added to the display each round, so the list of familiar items gets longer every time. The Neuroptimize Novelty Detection game is built on this idea. You memorise a grid of coloured symbols, then find the one that was just added. At higher levels the symbols also change places, so you have to remember what you saw rather than where it was. It is a Pro game.
How to play the Novelty Detection
- A grid of coloured symbols appears. Study it until the grid goes blank.
- After a short pause the grid comes back with one new symbol added. Tap the symbol that was not there before.
- Tapping a symbol that was already there costs a life. You have three lives, and the session ends early if you lose them all.
- A session has up to 12 rounds, and the set grows by one symbol every round, whether you were right or not.
- Higher levels start with more symbols and a longer blank pause. As the set grows, new symbols can share a shape or a colour with ones already there, so you must remember both.
- From level 10, the positions sometimes shuffle when the grid returns, and a message tells you when this happens. At the top levels they shuffle every round.
Strategies and tips
Scan in a fixed order
Look over the grid the same way each time, such as row by row from the top left. This makes an extra symbol in an unshuffled grid much easier to spot.
Remember shape and colour
As the set grows, the same shape appears in different colours. Tag each symbol with both features, such as "green heart", so a new colour of a familiar shape stands out.
Keep a running list
Only one symbol changes each round, so you do not need to relearn the grid. Add the latest symbol to the list you already know and use the study time to check it.
Rely on identity when shuffled
When the message says positions shuffled, ignore where things are. Go through the symbols one by one and ask whether each is on your list.
Guard your lives
Three wrong taps end the session, so a steady check is worth more than a fast guess. If two symbols both seem new, pick the one you have no memory of at all.
The science behind the Novelty Detection
Novelty detection is the recognition that a stimulus has not been encountered before. In this task each new display adds one item to a growing set, so finding it depends on recognition memory for every item already seen.
Frequently asked questions
What is novelty detection in psychology?
Novelty detection is the recognition that a stimulus has not been encountered before. It is closely tied to recognition memory, the sense that something is familiar.
What is the difference between recognition and recall?
Recall means producing information from memory with no cue, like listing items you saw. Recognition means judging whether something in front of you has been seen before. Novelty Detection is a recognition task, because all the symbols are on screen and you pick the unfamiliar one.
Why do the symbols move around?
From level 10 the positions sometimes shuffle, and at the highest levels they shuffle every round. This stops you from simply spotting a filled gap, so you have to recognise the symbols themselves.
Is Novelty Detection free?
Novelty Detection is a Pro game in Neuroptimize, and Pro starts with a 7-day free trial. Free players can also get it as the Pro game of the day in their daily workout.