Eye-tracking experiment reveals positive mid-sentence emojis slow preceding word processing but accelerate overall sentence reading, supporting parallel eye-movement control models.
Key Points
To investigate how positive versus neutral mid-sentence face emojis influence real-time eye movements on adjacent words and overall sentence processing.
Conducted an eye-tracking experiment assessing reading behavior when positive versus neutral face emojis were embedded mid-sentence.
Measured gaze duration, first-fixation duration, and single-fixation duration on preceding (n-1) and following (n+1) words, alongside sentence-level reading times and emotional valence ratings.
Positive emojis triggered parafoveal-on-foveal effects on the n-1 word, significantly lengthening first-fixation, gaze duration, and single-fixation measures compared to neutral emojis.
No valence-driven processing differences emerged on the subsequent n+1 word, suggesting limited downstream priming during continuous reading.