Eye tracking systems are a current methodology being used to screen for cognitive impairments however, this can be very expensive, so alternative methods are currently being investigated. Therefore, the current study examines whether the use of mouse clicking analogue tasks are as effective as eye tracking saccade tasks when looking at a person’s cognitive function. 38 participants completed two cognitive function assessments, the Mini-Cog and the mini mental state examination (MMSE), before completing two eye tracking saccade tasks involving a target appearing in the centre of the screen and moving either to the left or the right. Participants completed 50 trials looking towards the new target and 50 trials looking in the opposite direction. Finally, the participants completed two mouse clicking tasks that followed the same procedure as the eye tracking tasks. Strong correlations were found between the eye tracking tasks and the mouse tracking tasks, both with respect to the number of errors made and the responses times. Both the eye tracking and mouse clicking tasks also correlated with the MMSE and Mini-Cog scores. These findings align with previous research and shows that mouse clicking tasks are as effective as eye tracking tasks in the identification of cognitive impairments. This allows for the potential of a cheaper, more accessible screening tool for cognitive impairments and dementia. Future studies could look into the comparisons of ‘healthy’ participants and those already diagnosed with a cognitive impairment to ensure that the mouse clicking methodology is truly effective in identifying cognitive differences.
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