Text Difficulty and Comprehension Monitoring

To be included in the child sample, the individuals must be between 9 - 14 years of age. Participants must be either an English monolingual with minimum exposure to a second language OR a bilingual. Bilinguals must have a home language other than English but be currently attending an English school.

To be included in the adult sample, the individuals must be within the age range of 17 - 35 years old. The 17-year-olds will all be university students. The same criteria for children applies to the adults with respect to bilingual status.

All participants must be able to read English texts, agree to have their responses audio-recorded for specific tasks outlined in the letter of information.

Must have normal vision for reading or have corrected sight with contact lenses.

Our study involves reading some passages while having your eye movements followed by an eye-tracker. You will also answer some multiple-choice questions about the passages and complete some other language and cognitive tasks. Participation involves a single session of 1.5 to 2 hours for both chil and adult group. A relative or caregiver will complete a questionnaire while the participant completes the study's tasks.

Participants will receive a $50 Amazon or Indigo gift card as compensation for their participation.

Principal Investigator: Deanna Friesen
Study posted on: July 9th, 2026
Recruitment open until: December 15th, 2026

Samantha Palatinus: spalatin@uwo.ca