Use of the Taylor Visagraph II to evaluate eye movements during reading of Japanese text

The Taylor Visagraph uses infrared optics to assess eye movements made during reading . In this study, the Visagraph was used to determine the reliability and repeatability of data obtained while native Japanese readers read texts written in Japanese. These reading data were compare to eye movements made by Japanese students reading paragraphs written in Kana and mixed Kanji/Kana. Three level 1 and three level 10 Visagraph paragraphs were professionally translated from English into Kana and mixed Kanji/Kana. They were read by 21 adults who had completed at least high school in Japan and who were currently taking college courses in the U.S. The Visagraph provided data on reading rate, fixation, regression , and other variables for each paragraph read. Reliability of Visagraph data from the three paragraphs read in each form was analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance. No significant differences were found between the paragraphs for Kana or mixed Kanji/Kana. However, significant differences between English norms and actual data from Kana and mixed Kanji/Kana were found