Children’s processing of irony during reading in English: An eye-tracking study

Abstract

We know a great deal about the mechanisms underpinning literacy, yet gaps exist in understanding some complex literacy skills. The processing of irony during reading is one such skill. We used eye-tracking and behavioral measures to examine the processing of irony during reading in English in 30 children aged 10 to 12 years (33% female and 67% male; M_age = 11.34 years) by comparison with 32 adults (75% female and 25% male; M_age = 24.34 years). To accommodate individual differences, we included standardized measures of reading ability in our linear mixed models. Although children were slower in their reading times and had more difficulty in comprehending accurately the meanings of ironic texts versus literal texts by comparison with adults, children showed an adult-like processing cost for ironic information versus literal information across most measures. There were main effects but no substantial interactions involving reading ability. Future studies could include a broader range of ages to better understand the developmental trajectory of irony processing during reading.