Using eye tracking to investigate inference generation during L2 reading

2023 Fiscal Year Research-status Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K13103
• Research Institution: The University of Aizu
• Principal Investigator: Lingle William 会津大学, コンピュータ理工学部, 准教授 (40868486)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-04-01 – 2025-03-31
• Keywords: eye tracking / inference generation / psycholinguistics / SLA

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

My aim for the past year was to conduct a first eye tracking experiment with 10 or more participants. I was able to record and analyze useful data from 30 participants. I completed an analysis of the data and submitted a presentation proposal to the Japanese Society for Language Sciences 2024 international conference, which was accepted. I have submitted a short paper describing the study which will be published in the conference handbook. I have also opened an eye tracking lab at the University of Aizu and am supervising my first undergraduate thesis student, who will use eye tracking methods in their graduation thesis research.

Current Status of Research Progress

2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.

Reason

As I noted in my status report for 2022, I accomplished many things in my first year of eye tracking research. I have developed the skills to design an effective experiment, calibrate the equipment and conduct data recordings with participants, and clean the data for analysis. I have also learned programming skills using R and increased my knowledge of statistical tools for data analysis. I have recently worked with colleagues on improving my methods of data analysis and collecting necessary information from study participants. To have done all this in a short time and completed a study on my own, which will soon be published, is what I aimed for in the financial year 2023. I have done this and more. For these reasons I evaluate my progress as advancing smoothly.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

I intend to do a follow-up study in the summer of 2024 and aim to recruit 20-30 study participants using similar methods as the experiment from last year. For this study I aim to focus more on specific eye movements related to inference generation and their analysis. I have made arrangements with colleagues to receive mentoring assistance in producing an analysis that I can submit to, ideally, a Q1 journal that publishes eye tracking studies related to SLA (second language acquisition). I will publicize the work done in my lab as a contribution to my university's recruitment efforts. My aim is to complete the follow-up study and submit a paper based on that to a major journal by the end of March, 2025.