Word predictability affects saccade length in Chinese reading: An evaluation of the dynamic-adjustment model

Abstract

How does a word’s within-sentence predictability influence saccade length during reading? An eye-movement experiment manipulating the predictability of target words indicates that, relative to low-predictability target words, high-predictability targets elicit longer saccades to themselves. Simulations using computational models that respectively instantiate the targeting of saccades to default locations (Yan, Kliegl, Richter, Nuthmann, & Shu in Journal of Experimental Psychology, 63, 705–725, 2010) versus the dynamic adjustment of saccade length (Liu, Reichle, & Li in Journal of Experimental Psychology Learning Memory and Cognition, 41, 1229–1236, 2015, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 42, 1008–1025, 2016) indicate that the latter model provides a more accurate and parsimonious account of saccade-targeting behavior in Chinese reading. The implications of these conclusions are discussed with respect to current models of eye-movement control during reading and the necessity to explain eye movements in languages as different as Chinese versus English.