Peer-reviewed article
Eye-tracking studies on developmental language disorder: a systematic review.
Liu Z, Jiang Q ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This systematic review examines 33 eye-tracking studies that investigate how children with developmental language disorder process language in real time. The analysis reveals that children with this condition show slower processing speed, weaker prediction abilities, and tend to rely more on word meaning than grammar rules compared to typically developing children. Eye-tracking offers insights into the actual cognitive mechanisms underlying language difficulties, going beyond traditional tests. The findings suggest that language problems in this disorder stem from inefficient processing rather than simply missing language knowledge.
Key points
- Systematic review synthesized 33 empirical eye-tracking studies on developmental language disorder
- Three consistent processing patterns identified: slower processing efficiency, reduced predictive processing, and increased reliance on semantic over morphosyntactic cues
- Eye-tracking captures real-time cognitive processing during language comprehension
- Language difficulties linked to inefficiencies in real-time integration and competition resolution, not solely representational deficits
- Findings have implications for theoretical models of language processing and future methodological directions
Limitations
This is a systematic review synthesizing existing studies rather than a primary research study, so it cannot provide direct experimental evidence of intervention effectiveness or new empirical data. The review does not appear to evaluate any specific intervention or treatment for developmental language disorder.
Abstract
Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent difficulties in language acquisition and processing. While traditional behavioral and neurophysiological methods have provided valuable insights, eye-tracking has emerged as a powerful tool for capturing real-time cognitive processing during language comprehension. However, evidence from eye-tracking studies in DLD remains underrepresented and fragmented across linguistic domains and experimental paradigms. This systematic review synthesizes 33 empirical studies and examines how eye-tracking has been used to investigate real-time language processing in children with DLD. The review focuses on three key dimensions: (a) cognitive-linguistic domains addressed, (b) paradigms and eye-movement metrics employed, and (c) recurring processing differences between children with DLD and typically developing (TD) counterparts. The synthesis reveals three broadly consistent processing patterns in DLD: slower processing efficiency, reduced predictive processing, and increased reliance on semantic cues over morphosyntactic information. These patterns suggest that language difficulties in DLD are not solely attributable to representational deficits but are closely linked to inefficiencies in real-time integration and competition resolution during language processing. By consolidating findings across paradigms, this review provides a cognitively grounded account of DLD and highlights the role of eye-tracking in uncovering underlying processing mechanisms. Implications for theoretical models of language processing and future methodological directions are discussed.