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ECOLOGICAL VALIDITY IN EYE-TRACKING

An Empirical Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 June 2013

Patti Spinner ,
Susan M. Gass  and
Jennifer Behney
Patti Spinner*
Affiliation:
Michigan State University
Susan M. Gass
Affiliation:
Michigan State University
Jennifer Behney
Affiliation:
Youngstown State University
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Patti Spinner, SLS Program, B-258 Wells Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824; E-mail: spinnerp@msu.edu
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Abstract

Eye-trackers are becoming increasingly widespread as a tool to investigate second language (L2) acquisition. Unfortunately, clear standards for methodology—including font size, font type, and placement of interest areas—are not yet available. Although many researchers stress the need for ecological validity—that is, the simulation of natural reading conditions—it may not be prudent to use such a design to investigate new directions in eye-tracking research, and particularly in research involving small lexical items such as articles. In this study, we examine whether two different screen layouts can lead to different results in an eye-tracking study on the L2 acquisition of Italian gender. The results of an experiment with an ecologically valid design are strikingly different than the results of an experiment with a design tailored to track eye movements to articles. We conclude that differences in screen layout can have significant effects on results and that it is crucial that researchers report screen layout information.

Type
Articles
Information
Studies in Second Language Acquisition , Volume 35 , Issue 2: Eye-Movement Recordings in Second Language Research , June 2013 , pp. 389 - 415
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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Footnotes

We thank Aline Godfroid for early discussions on research design and Sehoon Jung and Russ Werner for assistance with the eye-tracker. We also thank Zhen Zhang for assistance with the statistical analysis.

Versions of this article were presented at SLRF 2010 and Eurosla 2010 and 2011.

References

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