A method for estimating the time of initiating correct categorization in mouse-tracking

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Decision Science

Background:

• Mouse-tracking is a valuable tool for studying cognitive processes in decision-making.
• Existing metrics analyze mouse trajectory shape and complexity to infer decision processes.
• A gap exists in precisely measuring the onset of correct stimulus categorization during decision tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel metric, the time of initiating correct categorization (TICC).
• To quantify the precise moment participants begin to move towards the correct decision target.
• To address the limitation of existing mouse-tracking metrics in identifying the initiation of correct categorization.

Main Methods:

• Developed the time of initiating correct categorization (TICC) metric.
• TICC measures the point when mouse movement favors the correct target over a distractor.
• Validated the TICC metric across three distinct mouse-tracking datasets.

Main Results:

• The TICC metric successfully estimates the time of initiating correct categorization.
• Demonstrated the utility and application of TICC in analyzing decision-making dynamics.
• Mouse movement patterns reflect the cognitive shift towards a correct decision.

Conclusions:

• The time of initiating correct categorization (TICC) offers a precise measure of cognitive shifts in decision-making.
• TICC enhances the analysis of mental processes by identifying the onset of accurate stimulus categorization.
• This new metric provides valuable insights into the temporal dynamics of decision formation.