| dc.description.abstract | The eye tracking while reading paradigm is an excellent tool for answering psycholinguistic research
questions, and is generally seen to offer the highest level of precision and accuracy among all self
paced incremental processing paradigms. However, eye tracking experiments are costly in terms of
time and money, and require specialised equipment. A novel incremental processing paradigm
developed by Wilcox et al. (2024) which has proven capable of replicating results from eye tracking
replaces eye gaze during reading with mouse movements. This method, which they call ‘mouse
tracking for reading’ (MoTR), allows experiments to be implemented fully online, cutting down on
costs.
This thesis uses MoTR to replicate results from an eye tracking study which found slowdown effects
during reading of English sentences caused by semantic and syntactic retrieval interference. Findings
of retrieval interference are informative for models of memory access during language use. The eye
tracking study, conducted by Mertzen et al. (2023), used longer and more complex sentences than
those tested in the original MoTR experiment. Furthermore, Wilcox et al. focused only on syntax
related phenomena, whereas our research examined syntactic and semantic effects simultaneously.
The aim of the present research was thus twofold: extend what we know about memory access and
language, and extend what we know about the effectiveness, strengths, and weaknesses of MoTR. The
MoTR study used differed slightly from that of Wilcox et al., allowing this thesis to bring novel insights
about mouse tracking. Notably, participants were allowed to use trackpads. Trackpad usage led to
higher reading times, but there was otherwise no qualitative difference in reading behaviour between
trackpad and regular mouse users.
MoTR succeeded in replicating both kinds of retrieval interference effects. The results strengthen
accounts of interference based on feature match, such as the cue-based retrieval theory. They show
that mouse tracking is capable of capturing multiple complex effects on reading times, and suggest
that MoTR can be a useful supplement to or even replacement for eye tracking. | |
