“We were inspired to look at eye movements” : Examining Reading Strategies in Children Using Eye Trackers

(Photo provided by Sarah MacIsaac)

“Reading is used everyday and is necessary for academic success, but there is actually a very large gap in the literacy development literature.” ~ Sarah MacIsaac 

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*In the following article, TS refers to The Synapse, and SM refers to Sarah MacIsaac;

TS: Could you briefly introduce yourself, your supervisor, the topic of your thesis, and the field it contributes to?

SM: My name is Sarah MacIsaac and I recently graduated from UNB with a BA Honours in Psychology with a Specialization in Neuroscience. I enjoy several aspects of psychology including cognition, psycholinguistics, and child development; I was thrilled to have worked with Dr. Veronica Whitford for my honours thesis where all these areas were involved. We examined phonological processing in children with different language backgrounds and how their reading abilities were influenced, contributing to the area of child language development. 

TS: What was the inspiration for your study, your research question, and the main results?

SM: Our study extends the research of Whitford and Joanisse (2018), where word frequency effect - the effect where frequently seen words are more easily processed in the brain - was examined in monolingual and bilingual children. We wanted to see what factors might influence the word frequency effect and how reading abilities in children are subsequently influenced. Specifically, we looked at 3 main composites of phonological processing - rapid naming, phonological memory, and phonological awareness - and how each one influenced the word frequency effect as measured by naturalistic eye movements.

To date, very few studies have examined naturalistic reading in children with diverse language backgrounds. We were inspired to look at eye movements in monolingual and bilingual children while they read stories. 

We predicted that children with lower phonological processing skills would experience larger word frequency effects evidenced by longer eye fixations. That is, reading proficiency would rely more on word frequency effects in children with lower phonological processing skills. 

Overall, we found that phonological processing modulates both monolingual and bilingual children’s reading behaviour at the word-level. This was captured by larger word frequency effects among bilingual children, especially in their second language.

TS: Could you provide a brief summary of the methods and experimental procedure used in this study?

SM: Participants included 34 English monolingual children and 33 English-French Bilingual children between the ages of 7-12. They completed a battery of standardized tests including The Language Experience and Proficiency Questionnaire (LEAP-Q; Marian, Blumenfied & Kaushanskaya, 2007), the WIAT-II word-reading and pseudo-word decoding subtests (English-Canadian and French-Canadian adaptations; Weschler, 2005), The Test of Nonverbal Intelligence – Third Edition ((TONI-III; Brown et al., 1997) and the Comprehensive Test of Phonological processing (CTOPP; Wagnet et al., 1999). These served to measure non-verbal intelligence (WIAT-II), non-verbal intelligence (TONI), and phonological processing (CTOPP).

In addition to these tests, participants silently read four short stories while their eye movements were measured with an eye tracker. Monolinguals read all 4 paragraphs in English, and bilinguals read two paragraphs in their first and second language (English or French), respectively. Participants were then asked comprehension questions to ensure they understood the paragraphs.

TS: Are there any future studies that will be conducted based on your method or results?

SM: Future research could potentially look at the word frequency effect in samples with other language backgrounds, such as multilingual individuals. Moreover, we only examined the total composite scores; future research could quantify which specific aspects of phonological processing influences word frequency effects.

TS: What would you consider the most intriguing part of your research?

SM: In the language development lab, we look at a lot of different aspects related to reading and development. I find all the different theories and methods for investigating language and reading most intriguing: they are so easily applied to educational or occupational settings. Reading is used everyday and is necessary for academic success, but there is actually a very large gap in the literacy development literature. 

TS: Is there anything else you wish to share about the research experience or study?

SM: Through the psychology honours program at UNB, I obtained experience presenting my research at national and international conferences. I also had the opportunity to make academic connections at other universities. Doing research with the language development lab was a highlight of my academic career at UNB, and something I am very proud of. I could not recommend joining the honours program more. Ψ

Created for The Synapse by Incé Husain.