Visually guided computer-mouse clicking interferes with multiple-object tracking (MOT)

Abstract

Many everyday tasks require coordinated action towards specific items moving amongst others (e.g. touching, pointing). Pylyshyn (2001) proposed that multiple-object tracking (MOT), the ability to monitor positions of specific target items as they move amongst others, is an integral part of coordinated action towards targets.  In support of this, Terry and Trick (2021) found that when participants were required to touch any moving item that changed colour (visually guided touch) it not only interfered with MOT – but it interfered differentially, with less interference for touching items that changed colour if they were also targets in MOT.  However, direct touch may represent a special case. In this study, we attempted to replicate the finding using a different coordinated action: computer-mouse clicks. Participants tracked 2–3 targets in MOT while clicking any item that changed colour. Mouse-clicking also interfered differentially with MOT, which suggests a common mechanism may underlie these processes.