Nowak-Vallacher's Mouse Paradigm - a tool for measuring the dynamics of thought

Traditional approaches in social psychology attribute attitude change to external factors disregarding the intrinsic dynamics of information processing in the brain. Vallacher and Nowak proposed a method for measuring momentary changes in the stream of thought, the Mouse Paradigm. In this approach, momentary state of one's feelings about an object corresponds to the perceived distance from this object. By tracking the computer mouse movements produced by subjects thinking about the object, it is possible to find temporal patterns of attitude change. In the presentation it will be argued that the Mouse Paradigm can be a valuable tool for measuring social judgment and self-esteem.