In the current study, hand motions captured by a mousetracking
system were used to index listener’s cognitive
processes while making commitments to different choice
alternatives during the processing of English passive and
active structures. Fifty-seven second language (L2) speakers
and 19 first language (L1) speakers of English carried out an
aural forced-choice picture identification task comprised of 75
items. The findings indicate that although L1 participants
have quicker response times for both active and passive
structures than L2 participants, both L1 and L2 participants
demonstrate similar difficulties in processing passive
constructions.
