?
Linear and Non-linear Patterns of Eye Movements in Lexical Search: Expert Versus Novice Language Learners
In the current study linear and non-linear eye movement patterns of lexical search were distinguished, based on the combination of intersaccadic angle and saccade direction measures, which proved to differ in subjects with different vocabulary knowledge. Participants, who were classified as experts and novices by their vocabulary test score, were asked to find 10 foreign language words in letter matrices. Eye movement data – peak saccade velocity and blink rate – indicated higher level of cognitive load in subjects with lower vocabulary test results. Subjects with minor vocabulary knowledge tended to adopt a non-linear eye movement pattern, characterized by frequent change of saccade direction and lack of prevalent direction, whereas proficient language learners were more inclined to demonstrate a more structured search pattern with prevailing either horizontal or vertical directions. The results confirmed our hypotheses: subjects with lower, intermediate and higher vocabulary expertise demonstrated different performance, different rates of cognitive load markers and different eye movement patterns. The acquired data, combined with the results of our previous study, support the argument that experts’ advantage in professional tasks is mediated by cognitive control.