Search Strategy Analysis
Watermaze Plug-In now provides pattern search in order to find and distinguish between eight different search behaviors:

• Thigmotaxis: Animal searches near the wall with repeated wall contacts
• Random search: Animal searches almost everywhere
• Scanning: Animal focuses on the pool center area
• Chaining: Animal focuses on the annulus zone, that is a ring with the width of the platform and the distance to the wall of the platform
• Directed search: The animal`s track stays mainly inside a user defined direct swim corridor
• Focal search: After a direct heading for the platform, the animal searches only in the nearest vicinity of it
• Direct swim: The animal stays inside the direct swim corridor
• Perseverance: Similar to Focal search, but the platform was removed or has a new position
• Not classified: For tracks that don't meet any of the detection algorithms

Configuration
All parameters can be adjusted by the user, as you can see in the screen shot on the right. By using standardized values, comparability of results is given.