Expanding horizons of cross-linguistic research on reading: The Multilingual Eye-movement Corpus (MECO)

Date

2022-02-01

Author

Siegelman, Noam
Schroeder, Sascha
Acartürk, Cengiz
Ahn, Hee-Don
Alexeeva, Svetlana
Amenta, Simona
Bertram, Raymond
Bonandrini, Rolando
Brysbaert, Marc
Chernova, Daria
Da Fonseca, Sara Maria
Dirix, Nicolas
Duyck, Wouter
Fella, Argyro
Frost, Ram
Gattei, Carolina A.
Kalaitzi, Areti
Kwon, Nayoung
Loo, Kaidi
Marelli, Marco
Papadopoulos, Timothy C.
Protopapas, Athanassios
Savo, Satu
Shalom, Diego E.
Slioussar, Natalia
Stein, Roni
Sui, Longjiao
Taboh, Anali
Tonnesen, Veronica
Usal, Kerem Alp
Kuperman, Victor

Metadata

Show full item record

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Item Usage Stats

211
views

2
downloads

Scientific studies of language behavior need to grapple with a large diversity of languages in the world and, for reading, a further variability in writing systems. Yet, the ability to form meaningful theories of reading is contingent on the availability of cross-linguistic behavioral data. This paper offers new insights into aspects of reading behavior that are shared and those that vary systematically across languages through an investigation of eye-tracking data from 13 languages recorded during text reading. We begin with reporting a bibliometric analysis of eye-tracking studies showing that the current empirical base is insufficient for cross-linguistic comparisons. We respond to this empirical lacuna by presenting the Multilingual Eye-Movement Corpus (MECO), the product of an international multi-lab collaboration. We examine which behavioral indices differentiate between reading in written languages, and which measures are stable across languages. One of the findings is that readers of different languages vary considerably in their skipping rate (i.e., the likelihood of not fixating on a word even once) and that this variability is explained by cross-linguistic differences in word length distributions. In contrast, if readers do not skip a word, they tend to spend a similar average time viewing it. We outline the implications of these findings for theories of reading. We also describe prospective uses of the publicly available MECO data, and its further development plans.

Subject Keywords

Reading, Eye tracking, Cross-linguistic research, Language, WORD, ENGLISH, FREQUENCY, PREDICTABILITY, ACQUISITION, EXPERIENCE, SOFTWARE, GERMAN, SYSTEM, LENGTH

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/96044

Journal

BEHAVIOR RESEARCH METHODS

DOI

https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-021-01772-6

Collections

Graduate School of Informatics, Article

Suggestions

OpenMETU
Core

EFL instructors’ cognitions and actions in relation to foreign language learning and teaching processes Öztürk, Mustafa; Yıldırım, Ali; Department of Educational Sciences (2014) The purpose of this study is to investigate EFL instructors’ language learning cognitions regarding linguistic aptitude, priorities in language learning, and good language learners; and language teaching actions with respect to pedagogical inclinations, instructional planning, error correction, learner-centeredness, and personal and professional development. The study also aims to describe the patterns of the relationships existing among those variables and examine the sources contributing to teachers’ cogn...
Examining Cognitive Creativity as an Individual Difference in Second Language Acquisition Pıpes, Ashleıgh Carter(2017-12-31) This study examines cognitive creativity as an individual difference and its role in processes and outcomes of second language acquisition. The study explores relationships between participants’ creativity, as measured by the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, and their course grades, narrative structure use, and communication strategy use.
Exploring the perceptions of teachers about their current and desired competencies defined by CEF and ELP: a case study Tandıroğlu, Işıl; Daloğlu, Ayşegül; Department of English Literature (2008) The purpose of this study is to find out the required teacher competencies in the implementation of the Common European Framework (CEF) and the English Language Portfolio (ELP) and to explore the perceptions of teachers about their current and desired competencies defined by CEF and ELP. The required competencies for the teachers are defined in the book calledCommon European Framework of Reference for Languages. This book being a reference for the whole European Union countries, identifies required teacher ...
Analysis of Turkish learners' attitudes towards English language and English speaking societies Üzüm, Babürhan; Seferoğlu, Gölge; Department of English Language Teaching (2007) This study aimed at investigating learners’ attitudes towards English language and English speaking societies. The study also explored the historical and sociopolitical factors that might have influenced learners’ attitudes. In order to collect data, a language attitude questionnaire was designed adapting several questionnaires which were prepared with the goal of collecting information about learners’ attitudinal predispositions towards language and language learning in various countries around the world. ...
Investigation of psycho-social factors that affect english pronunciation preference of efl learners: the relationship between in-class injunctive norms for English pronunciation and fear of negative evaluation in elt classrooms Ölçü, Zeynep; Yemenici, Alev; Department of English Literature (2008) This thesis aims to investigate socio-psychological factors that affect foreign language learners’ pronunciation and focuses on the relationship between in-class injunctive norms for English pronunciation and Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE). Injunctive norms are a type of social norms that define the expected behavior from the group members and sanctions for disobedience. They are evaluative in their nature. FNE is one of the three components of foreign language classroom anxiety and experienced when a pe...

Citation Formats

N. Siegelman et al., “Expanding horizons of cross-linguistic research on reading: The Multilingual Eye-movement Corpus (MECO),” BEHAVIOR RESEARCH METHODS, pp. 0–0, 2022, Accessed: 00, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://hdl.handle.net/11511/96044.