Exploring the unfolding dynamics of cognitive control via ‘mouse tracking’

Abstract

Cognitive control and its underlying mental and neural mechanisms has been the object of research in the cognitive sciences for decades. This project explored various aspects of cognitive control via ‘mouse tracking’ (an experimental method in which behavioural responses are provided via dynamic responses carried out via movements of the computer mouse). I first investigated variability in the degree to which cognition and action are intertwined, with three classic conflict tasks (Flanker, Simon and Spatial Stroop), and the results allowed me to verify mouse tracking as a reliable technique (Chapter 2). Next, I used some of the characteristic measures of mouse tracking to explore so-called ‘conflict adaptation,’ using the same set of conflict tasks (Chapter 3). In Chapter 4, I used these conflict tasks again, but now under the angle of whether systematic differences between monolingual and bilingual advantages might be found (a so-called ‘bilingual advantage’). For the final two chapters, rather than exploring cognitive inhibition and monitoring (as in the previous chapters) I instead investigated cognitive flexibility via combining a colour-shape switch task with mouse tracking. Chapter 5 focused on theoretical explanations of switch costs, and how mouse tracking could make a unique contribution to the long-standing literature on task switching. Chapter 6 explored the possibility of a bilingual advantage in task switching. The general findings of this project were that a) mouse tracking is a useful tool for exploring the relation between cognition and action, which constitutes a core issue in the cognitive sciences, b) in experiments of the type conducted here, cognition and action appear to be heavily intertwined, c) no clear ‘bilingual advantage’ was found in conflict tasks which involved mouse tracking. However, tentative evidence for such an advantage was obtained in a task which required cognitive flexibility and in which bilinguals appeared to outperform monolinguals.

Date of Award	27 Sept 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Markus F Damian (Supervisor) & Nina Kazanina (Supervisor)