Egocentrism: How the Three-Mountains Test Reveals Mindsets
Scientifically Reviewed · Dr. Marwa Abd-Alazim · October 14, 2026
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The Three-Mountains Test (TMT) is a psychometric assessment of cognitive functioning developed by Dr. Josef Zihl in 1984 (Zihl, 1983). The TMT is composed of two tasks, the first of which requires the participant to connect a series of circles that are arranged on cardboard in the shape of three mountains. The second task requires the participant to draw a continuous line between the circles without lifting the pencil. The TMT has been used extensively in clinical and research settings to assess deficits in attention, working memory, and executive functioning (Zihl, 1983).
The TMT has been found to be a reliable and valid measure of cognitive functioning in both clinical and research contexts (Nuechterlein & Parasuraman, 1984; Zihl, 1983). In particular, it has been found to be sensitive to deficits in attention, working memory, and executive functioning in patients with frontal lobe damage (Zihl, 1983). Additionally, it has been found to be sensitive to deficits in executive functioning in patients with schizophrenia (Nuechterlein & Parasuraman, 1984).
The TMT has been found to be useful in diagnosing cognitive deficits in clinical populations and in assessing the efficacy of cognitive interventions (Miyake et al., 2000). It has been found to have good test-retest reliability and to be sensitive to changes in performance over time (Nuechterlein & Parasuraman, 1984). Furthermore, it has been found to be sensitive to changes in performance in response to cognitive interventions (Miyake et al., 2000).
The TMT is a reliable and valid measure of cognitive functioning that is sensitive to deficits in attention, working memory, and executive functioning. It has been found to be useful in diagnosing cognitive deficits in clinical populations and assessing the efficacy of cognitive interventions.
References
Miyake, A., Friedman, N.P., Emerson, M.J., Witzki, A.H., Howerter, A., & Wager, T.D. (2000). The unity and diversity of executive functions and their contributions to complex “Frontal Lobe” tasks: A latent variable analysis. Cognitive Psychology, 41(1), 49-100.
Nuechterlein, K.H., & Parasuraman, R. (1984). The Three-Mountains Test: A cognitive assessment of sustained attention. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 6(2), 221-229.
Zihl, J. (1983). The Three-Mountains Test: A new task to measure deficits in visual search and attention. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 5(1), 73-78.
