Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026
05:31
Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task
Published on: February 26, 2020
Subtitle Engagement Varies with Audio-Subtitle Language-Script Pairing: Evidence from Hindi-English Bilinguals with
Inka Romero-Ortells1, Manuel Perea1,2, Eva Gutierrez-Sigut3,4
1Centro de Investigación Nebrija en Cognición (CINC), Universidad Nebrija, 28043 Madrid, Spain.
Vision (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 25, 2026
Summary
Attention to subtitles in instructional videos depends on language pairing for bilinguals. Viewers focused more on faces than subtitles when Hindi was present, regardless of comprehension.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Educational Technology
- Linguistics
Background:
- Subtitles in instructional videos can capture visual attention, even when not essential for understanding.
- Bilinguals with English-medium instruction (EMI) backgrounds may process subtitles differently based on language-script pairings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how audio-subtitle language-script pairings affect visual attention to subtitles in instructional videos.
- To examine subtitle engagement in Hindi-English bilinguals with an EMI background using eye-tracking.
Main Methods:
- An eye-tracking experiment was conducted with native Hindi participants viewing videos in three conditions: English audio/English subtitles (L2-L2), Hindi audio/Hindi subtitles (L1-L1), and English audio/Hindi subtitles (L2-L1).
- Gaze patterns and dwell time on speakers' faces versus subtitles were recorded.
- Comprehension scores were assessed across all conditions.
Main Results:
- In the L2-L2 condition, attention was divided between faces and subtitles.
- In both Hindi-subtitle conditions (L1-L1 and L2-L1), participants spent more time looking at speakers' faces than subtitles.
- No significant differences in comprehension were found across the different audio-subtitle language conditions.
Conclusions:
- Subtitle engagement in EMI bilinguals is influenced by the perceived utility and characteristics of the written channel, not just their presence.
- Visual attention to subtitles in multilingual instructional settings is not uniformly automatic and varies based on language-script configurations.
- Findings suggest a nuanced understanding of subtitle processing in bilingual educational contexts is necessary.
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