Is visual lexical decision a dynamic and competitive process? No, if we look at reaction times. Yes, if we study how it unfolds in time

Visual lexical decision is a classical paradigm in Psycholinguistic, and numerous studies have assessed a so-called "lexicality effect" (i.e., better performance with lexical over non-lexical stimuli). Far less is know relative to the dynamics of choice, as many studies measure overal reaction times which are not informative of the underlying processes. To unfold visual lexical decision in time, we measured participants' hand movements toward one of two items alternatives by recording the streaming x,y coordinates of the computer mouse. Participants categorized as 'lexical' or 'non-lexical' four kinds of stimuli: high and low frequency words, pseudowords, and letter strings. Spatial attraction toward the opposite category was present for low frequency words and pseudowords. Increasing stimuli ambiguity lead to enhcanced movements' complexity and trajectories' attraction to competitors, as no such effect was present for high frequency words and letter strings.