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Abstract The detailed study of eye movements in reading has shed considerable light into how language processing unfolds in real time. Yet eye movements in reading remain inadequately studied in non-native (L2) readers, even though much of the world’s population is multilingual. Here we present a detailed analysis of the quantitative functional influences of word length, frequency, and predictability on eye movement measures in reading in a large, linguistically diverse sample of non-native English readers. We find many similar qualitative effects as in L1 readers, but crucially also a proficiency-sensitive “lexicon-context tradeoff”. The most proficient L2 readers’ eye movements approach an L1 pattern, but as L2 proficiency diminishes, readers’ eye movements become less sensitive to a word’s predictability in context and more sensitive to word frequency, which is context-invariant. This tradeoff supports a rational, experience-dependent account of how context-driven expectations are deployed in L2 language processing.
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On the Suitability of Real-Time Assessment of Programming Proficiency using Gaze Properties
Evaluating programming proficiency has become more relevant as the demand for coding skills has increased. Current methods, such as questionnaires or interviews, are methods that lack intuition, flexibility, and real-time capabilities. In our work, we investigate eye gaze behavior as an estimate for skill assessment. Specifically, we conducted a study (N=14) using an eye tracker to analyze the participants' abilities to understand source code by presenting them with a series of programs. We evaluated their eye movements based on common eye tracking metrics and identified mutual task-solving strategies among the participants. While we cannot relate these indicators to programming proficiency directly, this study serves as an evaluation of real-time methods for evaluating programming proficiency.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1658594
- PAR ID:
- 10086516
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- PerDis '18 Proceedings of the 7th ACM International Symposium on Pervasive Displays
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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