%0 Journal Article %1 EngbertKliegl2001 %A Engbert, Ralf %A Kliegl, Reinhold %D 2001 %J Biological Cybernetics %K article cognitivemodeling eyemovements oculomotorcontrol %N 85 %P 77--87 %T Mathematical models of eye movements in reading: a possible role for autonomous saccades %X Abstract. An ecient method for the exact numerical simulation of semi-Markov processes is used to study minimal models of the control of eye movements in reading. When we read a text, typical sequences of ®xations form a rather complicated trajectory ± almost like a random walk. Mathematical models of eye movement control can account for this behavior using stochastic transition rules between few discrete internal states, which represent combinations of certain stages of lexical access and saccade programs. We show that experimentally observed ®xation durations can be explained by residence-time-dependent transition prob- abilities. Stochastic processes with this property are known as semi-Markov processes. For our numerical simulations we use the minimal process method (Gilles- pie algorithm), which is an exact and ecient simulation algorithm for this class of stochastic processes. Within this mathematical framework, we study dierent forms of coupling between eye movements and shifts of covert attention in reading. Our model lends support to the existence of autonomous saccades, i.e., the hypothesis that initiations of saccades are not completely determined by lexical access processes.

@article{EngbertKliegl2001, abstract = {Abstract. An ecient method for the exact numerical simulation of semi-Markov processes is used to study minimal models of the control of eye movements in reading. When we read a text, typical sequences of ®xations form a rather complicated trajectory ± almost like a random walk. Mathematical models of eye movement control can account for this behavior using stochastic transition rules between few discrete internal states, which represent combinations of certain stages of lexical access and saccade programs. We show that experimentally observed ®xation durations can be explained by residence-time-dependent transition prob- abilities. Stochastic processes with this property are known as semi-Markov processes. For our numerical simulations we use the minimal process method (Gilles- pie algorithm), which is an exact and ecient simulation algorithm for this class of stochastic processes. Within this mathematical framework, we study dierent forms of coupling between eye movements and shifts of covert attention in reading. Our model lends support to the existence of autonomous saccades, i.e., the hypothesis that initiations of saccades are not completely determined by lexical access processes. }, added-at = {2007-05-09T13:45:43.000+0200}, author = {Engbert, Ralf and Kliegl, Reinhold}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/215f59b2c4b87611d6df283bd0cc91d1a/tmalsburg}, interhash = {f8c775b90b7282f5b5d43f85753dfe6a}, intrahash = {15f59b2c4b87611d6df283bd0cc91d1a}, journal = {Biological Cybernetics}, keywords = {article cognitivemodeling eyemovements oculomotorcontrol}, number = 85, pages = {77--87}, timestamp = {2007-05-09T13:45:43.000+0200}, title = {Mathematical models of eye movements in reading: a possible role for autonomous saccades}, year = 2001 }