Verbal behavior

Argument is made for the use of variation permissive methods in the study of social judgment; one such dynamic method which purports to track on-line social evaluation (the mouse paradigm) is then introduced. The methodology of the mouse paradigm, which involves updating 'moment-to-moment' feelings via manipulation of a cursor by computer mouse, permits a wide range of experimental contrivance. Three varieties (SCALE, 1D and 2D), which differ in the amount of virtual (on screen) freedom of movement and psychological constraint, were tested with stereotyped targets (negative, ambivalent and positive) to determine any differences in their absolute distance time series and the extent to which aspects of these time series remained correlated with traditional scale-ratings of positivity and stability in feelings about targets. Results indicated a sharp difference between the two-dimensional (2D) variety and the one-dimensional varieties (SCALE and 1D), a finding which supports contention that the 2D variety possesses an appropriate balance of freedom and constraint.