Eye Tracking in Measuring the Relation of Anaphor Processing, Reading Fluency and Working Memory (WM) Capacity among University Students

ABSTRACTTwo experiments investigated the effects of case and verb agreement cues on the comprehension and production of which-questions in typically developing German children (aged 7–10) and adults. Our aims were to determine (a) whether they make use of morphosyntactic cues (case marking and verb agreement) for the comprehension of which-questions, (b) how these questions are processed, and (c) whether the presence and position of morphosyntactic cues available for the listener influence the speaker’s production of which-questions. Performance on a picture selection task with eye tracking shows that children with low working memory make less use of morphosyntactic cues than children with high working memory and adults when interpreting object questions. Gaze data of both groups reveal garden-path effects and revisions for object and passive questions, which can be explained by a constraint-based account. Furthermore, children’s difficulties with object questions are related to the type of disambiguation cue. In a question elicitation task with patient-initial items, children overall prefer production of passives, whereas adults’ productions depend on the availability of disambiguation cues for the listener.

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The effectiveness of affective compared to neutral working memory training in university students with test anxiety

Behaviour Research and Therapy ◽

10.1016/j.brat.2021.103974 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 103974

Author(s):

Savannah Minihan ◽

Zobair Samimi ◽

Susanne Schweizer

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

University Students ◽

Test Anxiety ◽

Working Memory Training ◽

Memory Training

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Eye-tracking in Second Language Reading

International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change ◽

10.53333/ijicc2013/15523 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 416-432

Author(s):

Ivana Roncevic

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

University Students ◽

Eye Tracking ◽

Reading Strategies ◽

English Language ◽

Target Language ◽

Second Language Reading ◽

Process Information ◽

Research Results ◽

Level Process

In this study eye tracking software was used to analyse the ways in which university students, adult competent speakers of English at C1 level, process information when reading texts in the target language, and which strategies they use in order to summarise a given text. Research results point to four different reading techniques used by the participants in the study: partly selective fast linear, partly selective slow linear, selective structural and nonselective reading strategies. In comparison with previous research with reading tasks in L1, results show that readers take more time when reading in L2. In addition, there is a need for skill enhancement for the purpose of improved text structuring in reading tasks in the English language.

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Screening for Reading Difficulties: Comparing Eye Tracking Outcomes to Neuropsychological Assessments

Frontiers in Education ◽

10.3389/feduc.2021.643232 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

Author(s):

Anna Carin Gran Ekstrand ◽

Mattias Nilsson Benfatto ◽

Gustaf Öqvist Seimyr

Keyword(s):

Eye Tracking ◽

Struggling Readers ◽

Reading Fluency ◽

Neuropsychological Test ◽

Reading Development ◽

Screening Method ◽

Cognitive Assessments ◽

Cognitive Difficulties ◽

Cognitive Limitations ◽

Early School

The use of eye tracking to assess reading fluency has been proposed as a novel and efficient screening method for identifying school children with atypical reading development or risk of dyslexia. Currently, however, little is known about the relationship between the predictive outcomes produced by eye tracking screening systems and specialist cognitive assessments. Here we investigate this relationship in the context of a neuropsychological case study involving eight subjects (9–10 years) who were identified as being at risk of dyslexia by an eye tracking screening system. We analyze to what extent these subjects displayed cognitive limitations when assessed with a neuropsychological test battery, and to what extent cognitive difficulties were limited to reading and decoding, or whether they extended to other domains as well. As a group, the subjects performed on average significantly worse in reading and decoding than in other cognitive domains. Five subjects performed more than 1.25 standard deviations below the mean for age. In line with empirical evidence, co-occurring difficulties in the attention domain were also observed in a few struggling readers. Overall, the results support the view that eye tracking can be a useful tool to assess and monitor children’s reading development during the early school years.

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Effects of recasts and form-focused instruction on the acquisition of novel vocabulary

Applied Linguistics Review ◽

10.1515/applirev-2017-0084 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 603-624

Author(s):

Yingli Yang ◽

Lawrence Jun Zhang ◽

Ling Chen

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Treatment Group ◽

University Students ◽

Vocabulary Development ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Effect Sizes ◽

Superior Performance ◽

Control Group ◽

Reading Span ◽

Group A

AbstractThe present study explores the effects of recast plus form-focused instruction and form-focused instruction on vocabulary development and the mediating effect of working memory. Sixty-six university students were assigned to a recast plus form-focused instruction (FFI) group, a FFI group, and a control group. The instructor provided recasts on non-target vocabulary items in the recast plus FFI group, whereas the FFI group completed two form-focused vocabulary tasks only. Pretests, posttests, and delayed posttests were administered to examine learners’ development of target vocabulary items. A reading span test was employed to examine learners’ complex working memory capacities. Results show that the recast plus FFI group exhibited superior performance over the control group on both posttests and delayed posttests with large effect sizes. Working memory did not significantly correlate with vocabulary development in either treatment group.

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