Processing Rhythmic Pattern during Chinese Sentence Reading: An Eye Movement Study

From eye movements to scanpath networks: A method for studying individual differences in expository text reading

Eye movements have been examined as an index of attention and comprehension during reading in the literature for over 30 years. Although eye-movement measurements are acknowledged as reliable indicators of readers' comprehension skill, few studies have analyzed eye-movement patterns using network science. In this study, we offer a new approach to analyze eye-movement data. Specifically, we recorded visual scanpaths when participants were reading expository science text, and used these to construct scanpath networks that reflect readers' processing of the text. Results showed that low ability and high ability readers' scanpath networks exhibited distinctive properties, which are reflected in different network metrics including density, centrality, small-worldness, transitivity, and global efficiency. Such patterns provide a new way to show how skilled readers, as compared with less skilled readers, process information more efficiently. Implications of our analyses are discussed in light of current theories of reading comprehension.

The association between non-symbolic number comparison and mathematical abilities depends on fluency

Numerous studies have explored the correlation between non-symbolic number comparison and mathematical abilities in children, but the results have been inconsistent. The underlying mental processing featuring fluency may affect the correlation. The current study tested the fluency hypothesis that non-symbolic number comparison is associated with mathematical fluency in the development of mathematical ability. Non-symbolic number comparison, arithmetic computation, mathematical reasoning, non-symbolic number estimation, symbolic number comparison, and a series of basic cognitive processing tasks, including mental rotation, non-verbal matrix reasoning, and choice reaction time, were administered to 1072 first- to fourth-grade children. The results show that non-symbolic number comparison (measured via numerosity comparison) was the only independent predictor of arithmetic computation in higher grades, even after controlled for age, gender, basic cognitive processing, non-symbolic number estimation (measured via numerosity estimation), and symbolic number comparison (measured via digit comparison). However, it did not correlate with mathematical reasoning in any grade. These findings support the fluency hypothesis for developmental correlation between non-symbolic number comparison and mathematical abilities. That is, non-symbolic number comparison correlates with mathematical ability featuring fluency.

Sentential position of VN combination modulates the rhythmic pattern effect during Chinese sentence reading: Evidence from eye movements

Though previous research has examined how implicit meter can facilitate the processing of stress-timed languages, syllable-timed languages, such as Chinese, remain under studied. Past research has shown that among verb-noun combinations in Chinese, the processing of [2 + 2] (two disyllabic words) combination rhythmic pattern is easier than that of [2 + 1] (a disyllabic word and a monosyllabic word) pattern, though it is unclear whether this effect is modulated by the sentential position of the verb-noun combination. The present study uses eye-tracking to examine the influence of position on rhythmic pattern during silent reading. In Experiment 1, participants read sentences with [2 + 1] versus [2 + 2] VN phrases embedded in different sentential positions. Results show that the fixation duration of [2 + 1] VN phrases is significantly longer than that of [2 + 2] and that the fixation duration of VN phrases is shorter at the sentence-middle position than it is at the sentence-final position, suggesting that the rhythmic pattern effect at the sentence-middle position exhibits a reduced magnitude compared to the sentence-final position. In Experiment 2, participants read sentences with either mono- or disyllabic words after the VN phrases to further explore whether the reduction of the rhythmic pattern effect is related to the number of succeeding syllables. Results show that while the fixation duration of the [2 + 1] VN pattern is significantly longer than that of the [2 + 2] pattern, there is no significant difference between the monosyllabic versus the disyllabic conditions, nor is there a significant interaction between rhythmic pattern and syllable length post VN phrases, thus ruling out the rhythmic effect from succeeding context. Together, these patterns suggest that the reduction of the rhythmic pattern effect is caused by position rather than number of syllables after phrases.

Effects of Implicit Prosody and Semantic Bias on the Resolution of Ambiguous Chinese Phrases

By manipulating the location of prosodic boundary and the semantic bias of the ambiguous "V+N1+de+N2" phrase, which is composed of one verb (V), one noun (N1), one functional word (de), and another noun (N2), this study investigated how prosodic boundary and the semantic bias affect the processing of temporary ambiguous sentences formed by the ambiguous phrase "V+N1+de+N2" through an eye movement experiment. We found the effect of prosodic boundary in the late processing stage and observed an interaction between prosodic boundary and the semantic bias of ambiguous phrases as well. The participants required more time for fixation and more regressions occurred when the meaning of the ambiguous phrase guided by prosodic boundary was inconsistent with context, especially when the ambiguous phrase was biased to the narrative-object phrase. This result suggests that prosodic boundary affects the processing of temporal ambiguous sentences and is influenced by the semantic bias of the ambiguous phrase. These findings provide further evidence from Chinese that indicate that implicit prosody plays a general role in language comprehension.

Effects of Noise on English Listening Comprehension among Chinese College Students with Different Learning Styles

This study was intended to determine whether the effects of noise on English listening comprehension would vary among Chinese college students with different learning styles. A total of 89 participants with different learning styles measured using Kolb’s (1985) Learning Style Inventory finished English listening comprehension tests in quiet and in white noise, Chinese two-talker babble, and English two-talker babble respectively. The results showed that the participants in general had significantly poorer performance in the two babble conditions than in quiet and white noise. However, the participants with assimilative and divergent learning styles performed relatively better in Chinese babble, and exhibited stable performance across the three noisy conditions, while the participants with convergent and accommodative learning styles had more impaired performance in both Chinese babble and English babble than in white noise. Moreover, of Kolb’s four learning modes, reflective observation had a facilitative effect on listening performance in Chinese babble and English babble. These findings suggest that differences in learning style might lead to differential performance in foreign language listening comprehension in noise.