How low can you go? Tracking eye movements during reading at different sampling rates

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Eye-tracking technology has significantly advanced reading research.
• High-precision eye-trackers are costly, limiting research accessibility.
• Lower-cost alternatives are needed to democratize reading research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of using lower sampling rate eye-trackers for cognitive reading research.
• To determine if cognitive effects during reading are detectable with less expensive equipment.
• To evaluate the impact of sampling rate on measuring reading-related cognitive processes.

Main Methods:

• Eye movements of readers were recorded at various sampling rates (250–2000 Hz).
• Simulations were performed to test even lower sampling rates (30–125 Hz).
• The effect of word frequency on fixation duration was analyzed as a measure of cognitive processing.

Main Results:

• The word frequency effect on fixation duration was successfully measured at sampling rates from 250 to 2000 Hz.
• Simulations demonstrated that the word frequency effect is detectable even at very low sampling rates (30–125 Hz) with sufficient sample sizes.
• Cognitive processing during reading can be reliably measured using lower sampling rate eye-tracking devices.

Conclusions:

• Low sampling rates do not inherently prevent the study of cognitive processes during reading.
• Affordable eye-tracking devices are viable tools for cognitive reading research.
• This research broadens the accessibility of eye-tracking methodologies for studying reading.