A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Fluctuation in Cognitive Engagement During Reading: Evidence From Concurrent Recordings of Postural and Eye Movements
Authors: Kaakinen JK, Ballenghein U, Tissier G, Baccino T
Publisher: AMER PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOC
Publication year: 2018
Journal: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition
Journal name in source: JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY-LEARNING MEMORY AND COGNITION
Journal acronym: J EXP PSYCHOL LEARN
Volume: 44
Issue: 10
First page : 1671
Last page: 1677
Number of pages: 7
ISSN: 0278-7393
eISSN: 1939-1285
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0000539
Abstract
The present study utilized a novel methodological combination of eye tracking and postural movement recordings to study task-induced changes in cognitive engagement during expository text reading. Thirty-three participants read an expository text with a specific task in mind while their eye and postural movements were concurrently recorded, and after reading recalled the text from memory. The results showed that readers spent longer total fixation time and had better memory for task-relevant than irrelevant text information. During the course of reading, head-to-screen distance and the speed of head motion decreased more for relevant than irrelevant text segments. The results support the dynamic engagement hypothesis: there is task-induced fluctuation in cognitive engagement during reading. Moreover, the results suggest two types of engagement processes: transient and sustained engagement. The former refers to fast, momentary changes. whereas the latter refers to slower changes in the level of engagement observed across the reading task. The novel combination of eye and postural movement recordings proved to be useful in studying how readers embody the cognitive task demands during reading.
The present study utilized a novel methodological combination of eye tracking and postural movement recordings to study task-induced changes in cognitive engagement during expository text reading. Thirty-three participants read an expository text with a specific task in mind while their eye and postural movements were concurrently recorded, and after reading recalled the text from memory. The results showed that readers spent longer total fixation time and had better memory for task-relevant than irrelevant text information. During the course of reading, head-to-screen distance and the speed of head motion decreased more for relevant than irrelevant text segments. The results support the dynamic engagement hypothesis: there is task-induced fluctuation in cognitive engagement during reading. Moreover, the results suggest two types of engagement processes: transient and sustained engagement. The former refers to fast, momentary changes. whereas the latter refers to slower changes in the level of engagement observed across the reading task. The novel combination of eye and postural movement recordings proved to be useful in studying how readers embody the cognitive task demands during reading.
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