Individual differences in word skipping during reading in English as L2.

Area of Science:

• Psycholinguistics
• Cognitive Science
• Bilingualism Research

Background:

• Unbalanced bilinguals exhibit varying proficiency levels in their first (L1) and second (L2) languages.
• Word skipping, a reading behavior, can differ significantly between L1 and L2.
• Understanding L2 reading processes requires examining individual differences and L1 transfer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the predictors of word skipping in L2 among unbalanced bilinguals.
• To explore the influence of L2 proficiency, L1 skipping habits, and word characteristics on L2 word skipping.
• To determine if L1 reading patterns are maintained in L2 reading.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of eye-movement data from the Multilingual Eye-movement Corpus (MECO).
• Examined word skipping in L2 based on word frequency, word length, L2 proficiency, and two novel L1 skipping measures.
• Statistical analysis of individual differences and their interaction with word properties.

Main Results:

• Word skipping in L2 was more frequent for shorter, high-frequency words.
• Higher L2 proficiency correlated with increased L2 word skipping.
• Individual L1 skipping tendencies significantly predicted L2 skipping, especially for longer words.
• A preference for maintaining L1-like skipping patterns in L2 was observed.

Conclusions:

• L1 reading habits significantly influence L2 word skipping behavior in unbalanced bilinguals.
• Lower L2 proficiency may lead to less efficient parafoveal processing during L2 word skipping.
• Future research should consider L1 transfer effects in L2 reading models.