Foveal processing and word skipping during reading.
An eyetracking experiment is reported examining the assumption that a word is skipped during sentence reading because parafoveal processing during preceding fixations has reached an advanced level in recognizing that word. Word n was presented with reduced contrast, with case alternation, or normally. Reingold and Rayner (2006) reported that, in comparison to the normal condition, reduced contrast increased viewing times on word n but not on word n+1, whereas case alternation increased viewing times on both words. These patterns were reflected in the fixation times of the present experiment, but a striking dissociation was observed in the skipping of word n+1: The reduced contrast of word n decreased skipping of word n+1, whereas case alternation did not. Apart from the amount of parafoveal processing, the decision to skip word n+1 is also influenced by the ease of processing word n: Difficulties in processing word n lead to a more conservative strategy in the decision to skip word n+1.
Drieghe
Denis
D
Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. denis.drieghe@ugent.be
D001288:Attention; D005403:Fixation, Ocular; D006801:Humans; D011930:Reaction Time; D011932:Reading; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012660:Semantics; D014794:Visual Fields
Vision Res. 2005 Aug;45(17):2201-17
15924936
J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 2005 Oct;31(5):954-9
16262491
Psychol Sci. 2006 Sep;17(9):742-6
16984288
Psychol Rev. 2005 Oct;112(4):777-813
16262468
J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 1990 May;16(3):417-29
2140401
Psychon Bull Rev. 2003 Jun;10(2):398-404
12921416
Psychol Rev. 1998 Jan;105(1):125-57
9450374
Psychon Bull Rev. 2005 Feb;12(1):132-8
15945206
Mem Cognit. 1999 Mar;27(2):254-66
10226436
Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2008 Aug;61(8):1239-49
17853202
Psychol Bull. 1998 Nov;124(3):372-422
9849112
Cogn Psychol. 2006 Feb;52(1):1-56
16289074