Individual differences in working memory during reading with and without parafoveal information: a moving-window study.
We examined individual differences in working memory appearing in the effective visual field size while reading Japanese text. Working memory capacity was measured by a Japanese reading span test, and the subjects were divided into high- and low-score groups. Reading performance was measured by reading time, comprehension, and eye movements using a variable moving window through which the subject could read areas of the Japanese text. As the window size decreased, the reading time increased significantly. High-span subjects showed better performance in reading time, comprehension, and fixation duration than low-span subjects even in small visual fields. Interestingly, high-span subjects appear to show better information integration during reading, whereas low-span subjects showed less integration without parafoveal vision. These findings suggest that reading performance was better for subjects with larger working memory resources in a parafoveal restriction condition.
Osaka
Naoyuki
N
Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606, Japan. osaka@psy.bun.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Osaka
Mariko
M
D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology; D005403:Fixation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D005584:Fovea Centralis / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D011932:Reading; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology