Segmented relations between online reading behaviors, text properties, and reader-text interactions: An eye-movement...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Linguistics
• Reading Science

Background:

• Individual differences in language and literacy skills are known to affect reading comprehension.
• Understanding the precise mechanisms linking reader abilities to online reading behavior is crucial for effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between readers' abilities and word properties during online sentence reading.
• To examine how individual differences in language and literacy skills modulate eye-movement patterns.

Main Methods:

• An eye-movement study was conducted with young adult English monolinguals.
• Mixed-effects and segmented linear regression models were used to analyze gaze measures, text properties, and skill measures.

Main Results:

• Significant associations were found between gaze measures (e.g., reading times, regression probability) and interactions of lexical properties (word length/position) with skill measures (vocabulary, fluency, decoding, working memory).
• The dynamics between gaze measures and lexical properties were influenced by individual skill levels.

Conclusions:

• This study enhances understanding of how language and literacy skills predict online reading behavior.
• The findings provide a richer methodology for exploring the dynamics between lexical properties and eye-movement measures, suggesting avenues for future research.