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Eye movement control in reading: accounting for initial fixation locations and refixations within the E-Z Reader
E D Reichle1, K Rayner, A Pollatsek
1Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. reichle+@andrew.cmu.edu
Vision Research
|May 2, 2000
Summary
Eye movements during reading are influenced by both word length and linguistic processing. Our E-Z Reader model demonstrates that lexical access, not just word length, drives eye movements and predicts fixation locations.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Computational Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Previous research suggested word length, not linguistic processing, primarily determines fixation locations during reading.
- This finding challenged models like E-Z Reader, which posit lexical access as the main driver of eye movements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-evaluate the role of lexical access in eye movement control during reading.
- To demonstrate that the E-Z Reader model can account for fixation locations, incorporating both linguistic and oculomotor variables.
Main Methods:
- Utilized computer simulations based on the E-Z Reader model.
- Incorporated a newer version of the E-Z Reader model that maintains lexical access as the primary driver of eye movements.
Main Results:
- The updated E-Z Reader model successfully predicts fixation locations and within-word refixations.
- Results indicate that lexical access plays a significant role in guiding eye movements during reading.
Conclusions:
- The E-Z Reader model provides a viable framework for understanding how linguistic and oculomotor factors interact to control eye movements in reading.
- Lexical access remains a critical component in the dynamic process of reading eye movements.