title: Lévy-like diffusion in eye movements during spoken-language comprehension.
abstract: This study explores the diffusive properties of human eye movements during a language comprehension task. In this task, adults are given auditory instructions to locate named objects on a computer screen. Although it has been convention to model visual search as standard Brownian diffusion, we find evidence that eye movements are hyperdiffusive. Specifically, we use comparisons of maximum-likelihood fit as well as standard deviation analysis and diffusion entropy analysis to show that visual search during language comprehension exhibits Lévy-like rather than Gaussian diffusion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, 406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-1020, USA.
authors.forename: Damian G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Stephen
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mirman
authors.forename: James S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Magnuson
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Dixon
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003071:Cognition; D032882:Comprehension; D053483:Eye Movement Measurements; D005133:Eye Movements; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008954:Models, Biological; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D016011:Normal Distribution; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D013060:Speech; D013067:Speech Perception; D013997:Time Factors