Current Projects
Dyslexia or Specific Reading Disorder
Currently, we are conducting a multi-year study of dyslexia in adults (18+) sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. If you are an adult with a diagnosis of dyslexia or specific reading disorder and are interested in participating in a paid study ($50), please complete this brief survey: goo.gl/q8KAL2. We pay $10 for referrals, so if you know someone who qualifies, please pass the link along. Questions? Email us for more information.
Basic Processes of Reading
The major focus of research in the lab is on how we read. Skilled reading involves using both visual and language information to guide eye movements. The projects in this category focus on how our eye movements in reading are controlled and how reading is similar to and different from other tasks.
Language and Reading in Children
Becoming a good reader requires more than just learning words. A skilled reader develops the ability to precisely control the eyes in order to efficiently gather information from text. By exploring how children's eye movements change over time and in response to increased skill and knowledge, we can get a better understanding of how language and reading abilities develop, how to foster these abilities, and how to diagnose and treat difficulties early. Interested in participating or want to know more? Email us for more information.
Reading in a Second Language
People learning another language experience different challenges from child learners. Eye tracking can be used to explore whether learners process ther new language differently from natives, how prificient they are in the new language, how their reading skill is related to oral proficiency, how effective different instructional techniques are, and a variety of other questions. Much of this research is done in collaboration with colleagues in the BYU College of Humanities. Interested in participating? Email us for more information.
Neuroscience of Reading
In order to fully understand how we read, we need to explore the brain. Using a combination of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and eye-tracking, we are exploring how the brain recognizes words and combines them into sentences and paragraphs, as well as how it plans eye movements precisely to allow efficient intake of visual information. This research takes place at the BYU MRI Research Facility.
Clinical Applications of Eye Tracking
Eye movements are a highly sensitive measure of cognitive processes, so tracking the eyes can reveal a great deal about how the mind works and why it sometimes doesn't work the way we expect. These projects use eye-tracking to explore the causes and consequences of disorders and cognitive impairments, and how such impairments might be diagnosed and treated. Neurological disorders explored include autism, dyslexia and traumatic brain injury.