= Mouse tracking
<Mouse tracking> records a computer pointer's trajectory over time as a behavioral measure. In <psycholinguistics>, its <Cartesian coordinates> can reveal differences between trials that end in the same choice. The trajectory complements final accuracy and <reaction time> by preserving part of the movement toward the response.
<Michael Spivey>, <Marc Grosjean> and <Günther Knoblich> tested 42 participants with two object pictures in opposite upper corners of a screen. Participants started at the bottom center; a prerecorded word named the target 0.5 <seconds> after the pictures appeared. A candy distractor shared initial sounds with the target `candle`, while a jacket provided a dissimilar control. Movements showed greater attraction toward the competing object before reaching the correct target.<Continuous attraction toward phonological competitors by Michael Spivey and others>[Experiment, Methods and Fig. 1, cohort/control displays and trajectories]{ref}
The authors used <linear interpolation> to compare trajectories at 101 normalized time positions. That procedure preserves relative movement progression while changing its time scale. Display geometry and movement instructions remain part of the measurement; a curve alone is not a uniquely identified mental state.
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