Investigating affective processing in the second language using the Ghent Eye-Tracking Corpus

Affective words seem to be processed differently than neutral words. A number of eye-tracking studies on L1 speakers have found that processing of both positive and negative words occurs faster than that of neutral words. Conversely, studies regarding affective processing in the L2 suggest that the relative lack of ‘real-life’ input causes impoverished connectivity. This translates to, for instance, smaller pupil dilations and reduced skin conductance in comparison with L1 speakers. Furthermore, at least one eye-tracking study suggested that the processing advantage for negative words that was found in the L1 is absent in the L2. One issue with these studies, however, is that the experimental paradigms used do not necessarily reflect naturalistic processing mechanisms. The present study, therefore, utilizes the Ghent Eye-Tracking Corpus. This corpus was constructed by having bilingual participants read one half of a novel in their L1, and the other half in their L2. Due to the large size of the corpus, and the lack of explicit tasks given to participants, results of this study should be more reliable and representative.