Eyetracking Methodology: A User's Guide for Linguistic Research

Abstract

Abstract During the past decade, the use of behavioral (e.g. picture/word naming, self-paced reading, eyetracking) and electrophysiological (e.g. event-related potentials) quantitative experimental techniques historically associated with psychology has flourished in linguistics. These techniques are shaping linguistic theories in new ways and it is important to understand how they can contribute to our field. This article focuses on the use of eyetracking, a research methodology that measures eye positions and movements through a device called an eyetracker. In linguistics, eyetracking is generally employed for studying language processing during comprehension and production. The paper is organized as follows. Section 1 presents the benefits of eyetracking for linguistic research. Section 2 explains terminology commonly used in eyetracking studies and discusses issues relevant for stimuli creation and data analysis. Section 3 compares the eyetracker models employed in linguistic studies and provides useful links to obtain further information. Finally, Section 4 summarizes representative eyetracking research on Spanish and Portuguese.