Shiyu He

Shiyu He

she/her

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

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Posts

AMLAP 2025

1 minute read

Published:

I attended the Architectures and Mechanisms for Language Processing (AMLaP) conference, where I had the opportunity to present my work on bilingual reading and eye movements.

portfolio

publications

Medieval reading in the twenty-first century?

Published in Digital Scholarship in the Humanities, 2024

Eye-tracking evidence on how modern readers interact with medieval manuscripts.

Recommended citation: Ward, A., & He, S. (2024). Medieval reading in the twenty-first century? Digital Scholarship in the Humanities, 39(4), 1134–1155. https://doi.org/10.1093/llc/fqae056
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Building expertise in L2 grammar: a multi-factorial analysis of cognitive and non-cognitive factors in proficient immigrant learners

Published in Working paper (under review), 2025

Working paper investigating how cognitive and non-cognitive factors jointly contribute to grammatical expertise in proficient immigrant L2 learners.

Recommended citation: Divjak, D., He, S., & Milin, P. (under review). Building expertise in L2 grammar: a multi-factorial analysis of cognitive and non-cognitive factors in proficient immigrant learners. Working paper, University of Birmingham.
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Eye-tracking in online research

Published in The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Cyberpsychology (invited chapter, under review), 2025

Invited encyclopedia chapter reviewing methods, challenges, and best practices for eye-tracking in online research.

Recommended citation: He, S., & Milin, P. (under review). Eye-tracking in online research. In C. Fullwood et al. (Eds.), The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Cyberpsychology.

When more is more: Acquiring probabilistic multifactorial patterns in L2

Published in Manuscript under review (Language Learning), 2025

Examines how L2 learners acquire probabilistic, multifactorial linguistic patterns.

Recommended citation: Aigro, M., Pilvik, M., He, S., Taremaa, P., Chuprina, A., Vihman, M., & Divjak, D. (under review). When more is more: Acquiring probabilistic multifactorial patterns in L2. Language Learning.

talks

Cross-linguistic influences and L1 attrition

Published:

Abstract

This invited talk focused on the impact of prolonged L2 (English) exposure on L1 (Chinese) reading behaviour, highlighting eye-tracking evidence for L1 attrition effects.

Where L2 Still Looks L2: Spatial Undershoot and Logographic Saccadic Programming in L1 Chinese/L2 English Readers

Published:

Abstract

Background Saccadic targeting during reading integrates visual, linguistic, and motor planning processes [1, 2]. While second language (L2) learners may develop native-like fixation durations in their L2 [3], it is unclear whether spatial adaptations extend to their first language (L1), especially when scripts are vastly different. This study investigates whether advanced English proficiency and exposure reshape saccadic precision and landing stability during L2 English reading, and whether these patterns transfer, to L1 Chinese reading. Method Forty Chinese university students were categorised into Advanced and Upper Intermediate L2 English learner groups using Principal Component Analysis and Cluster Analysis of English vocabulary size, IELTS scores, and years of residence in the UK [4]. Participants read 24 matched Chinese (38–71 words each, M = 55.9, SD = 10.3) and English (44–98 words each, M = 70.7, SD = 12.9) texts in a counterbalanced order while their eye movements were recorded. Relative Landing Positions (RLPs) were computed using the x-coordinate of the first fixation relative to word centre, capturing both central tendency and dispersion. Results In L1 Chinese reading, both groups demonstrated highly stable, centre-based RLPs that did not vary with word length, aligning with native-like saccadic patterns [5, 6]. In contrast, during L2 English reading, both groups showed increasingly leftward RLPs of the first fixation from word centre as word length increased, consistent with spatial undershoot patterns attributed to oculomotor constraints or motor planning strategies. This spatial undershoot occurred despite the Advanced group showing native-like fixation durations, indicating that temporal and spatial components of eye movement control may be governed by different mechanisms. Discussion The present findings highlight a dissociation between temporal fluency and spatial targeting in bilingual reading. While L2 proficiency and exposure may support native-like fixations, they do not affect saccadic targeting. The persistence of L1 Chinese saccadic patterns suggests that spatial aspects of eye movement control are script-specific and relatively resistant to change [3], particularly when the scripts of the two languages differ markedly. These findings suggest that L1-based saccadic routines persist in L2 reading, highlighting the need for bilingual models to account for the limited cross-script adaptability of spatial oculomotor control.

teaching