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Is the processing of words during eye fixations in reading strictly serial?
A W Inhoff1, M Starr, K L Shindler
1Department of Psychology, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, USA. inhoff@binghamton.edu
Perception & Psychophysics
|January 6, 2001
Summary
Current reading models suggest attention focuses on one word at a time. This study shows visual and orthographic properties of upcoming words influence reading, challenging these attention-shift models.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Linguistics
Background:
- Oculomotor control models in reading typically assume attention is limited to a single word during fixation.
- Eye movement planning involves pre-computation of the next word's location before attention shifts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of post-target word properties on target word processing during reading.
- To test the assumptions of current attention-shift models in oculomotor control.
Main Methods:
- Manipulating visual distinctiveness and orthographic legality of the post-target word preview.
- Measuring target word viewing durations and rereading times during natural reading tasks.
Main Results:
- Target viewing durations increased when the post-target preview was visually distinct or orthographically illegal.
- Semantic properties of the post-target text did not impact initial target word reading but affected rereading.
- Findings suggest parafoveal information (visuospatial, orthographic) is processed before attention is fully allocated.
Conclusions:
- Existing attention-shift models require modification to incorporate parafoveal processing.
- Readers may allocate attention to more than one word simultaneously, challenging the single-word focus assumption.
- Reading models should consider less restrictive attention allocation mechanisms.