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Eye-tracking to Distinguish Comprehension-based and Oculomotor-based Regressive Eye Movements During Reading
Published on: October 18, 2018
Using E-Z Reader to model the effects of higher level language processing on eye movements during reading.
Erik D Reichle1, Tessa Warren, Kerry McConnell
1University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA. reichle@pitt.edu
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|January 16, 2009
Summary
This study enhances the E-Z Reader model to include higher-level language processing in eye movement control during reading. The updated model successfully simulates how postlexical processing affects reading eye movements when it is difficult.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Computational Linguistics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Computational models of reading eye movements typically focus on low-level factors like saccadic programming and visual constraints.
- Existing models often overlook the influence of higher-level, postlexical language processing on eye movement control during reading.
Purpose of the Study:
- To augment the E-Z Reader computational model to incorporate higher-level language processing.
- To investigate how postlexical processing affects eye movements during reading, particularly under conditions of processing difficulty.
Main Methods:
- Modification of the existing E-Z Reader model to include parameters for postlexical processing.
- Running simulations to test the augmented model's ability to replicate empirical findings on eye movements during reading.
Main Results:
- The augmented E-Z Reader model successfully accounts for eye movement patterns when higher-level language processing is difficult.
- The model demonstrates that the impact of postlexical processing on reading eye movements is contingent on processing fluency.
Conclusions:
- Higher-level language processing significantly influences eye movements during reading, especially when processing is impaired.
- The E-Z Reader model, when augmented, provides a more comprehensive account of the interplay between language comprehension and oculomotor control in reading.
