Self-paced reading tests with psychopy: A versatile tool for linguistic data collection

Authors

Engin Evrim Onem
Erciyes University
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2711-7511

Synopsis

This chapter examines the application of self-paced reading (SPR) tests using PsychoPy software in linguistic research, highlighting the method's ability to provide precise measurements of the cognitive processes involved in language comprehension. It reviews existing studies utilizing PsychoPy to investigate phenomena such as syntactic ambiguity resolution and discourse processing. Furthermore, the chapter proposes a methodological framework for conducting SPR experiments, offering specific guidelines for task design, stimulus presentation, and data analysis. By evaluating the advantages and limitations of this approach, this work aims to contribute to the methodological toolkit of linguists and researchers interested in real-time language processing.

Keywords: Self-paced reading, PsychoPy, Linguistics

Author Biography

Engin Evrim Onem, Erciyes University

Dr. Engin Evrim Önem is a Lecturer at the School of Foreign Languages at Erciyes University. He received his B.A. from Erciyes University (2001) and completed his M.A. in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) at Bilkent University (2015). He holds two distinct Ph.D. degrees: one in Linguistics from Ankara University (2011) and another in English Linguistics from Hacettepe University (2022). He also served as a visiting researcher at the Department of Linguistics at the University of Connecticut (2008–2009) under the Fulbright scholarship program. His primary research interests encompass experimental linguistics, psycholinguistics, Turkish syntax (specifically scrambling), and applied linguistics. He has published extensively on both anxiety and assessment in language learning, as well as on the cognitive processing of Turkish, utilizing self-paced reading paradigms via PsychoPy. In recent years, his research agenda has expanded to explore the linguistic limitations and processing constraints of artificial intelligence systems.

Published

December 31, 2025

How to Cite

Onem, E. E. (2025). Self-paced reading tests with psychopy: A versatile tool for linguistic data collection. In O. Cinar, F. Başbuğ, & H. Aydemir (Eds.), & (Ed.), Contemporary Studies in Linguistics I (Vol. I, pp. 298-304). Artsurem Publishing. https://doi.org/10.7816/imuling-15-2025-01X015