Multiple object tracking is selectively linked to STEM achievement

STEM careers are vital to economic development. Although many assessments evaluate STEM knowledge, few directly measure the core cognitive capacities underpinning success in STEM fields. In a large, diverse sample (N > 25,000), we show that performance on a brief, unsupervised web-based test of multiple object tracking (MOT)—a well-established index of spatial attention requiring no STEM-specific knowledge—is robustly and selectively associated with key STEM outcomes. MOT is more strongly related (1) to self-reported K–12 math and science performance than to writing performance, (2) to math SAT scores than to verbal SAT scores, (3) to pursuing a STEM major than are vocabulary scores, and (4) to obtaining a STEM occupation than are vocabulary scores. The strength, selectivity, and breadth of these associations—with a cognitively and neurally well-characterized MOT task—underscore its value as both a mechanistically grounded probe of STEM aptitude and a promising tool for studying untapped STEM potential.