title: Is orthographic information from multiple parafoveal words processed in parallel: An eye-tracking study.
abstract: In the current study we investigated whether orthographic information available from 1 upcoming parafoveal word influences the processing of another parafoveal word. Across 2 experiments we used the boundary paradigm (Rayner, 1975) to present participants with an identity preview of the 2 words after the boundary (e.g.,hot pan), a preview in which 2 letters were transposed between these words (e.g.,hop tan), or a preview in which the same 2 letters were substituted (e.g.,hob fan). We hypothesized that if these 2 words were processed in parallel in the parafovea then we may observe significant preview benefits for the condition in which the letters were transposed between words relative to the condition in which the letters were substituted. However, no such effect was observed, with participants fixating the words for the same amount of time in both conditions. This was the case both when the transposition was made between the final and first letter of the 2 words (e.g.,hop tanas a preview ofhot pan; Experiment 1) and when the transposition maintained within word letter position (e.g.,pit hopas a preview ofhit pop; Experiment 2). The implications of these findings are considered in relation to serial and parallel lexical processing during reading. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Cutter
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Drieghe
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: Simon P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Liversedge
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D053483:Eye Movement Measurements; D005584:Fovea Centralis; D006801:Humans; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D011578:Psycholinguistics; D011932:Reading; D055815:Young Adult