On the launch-site effect for skipped words during reading
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Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Eye-tracking to Distinguish Comprehension-based and Oculomotor-based Regressive Eye Movements During Reading
Published on: October 18, 2018
1Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany. kruegel@uni-potsdam.de
Abstract:
The launch-site effect, a systematic variation of within-word landing position as a function of launch-site distance, is among the most important oculomotor phenomena in reading. Here we show that the launch-site effect is strongly modulated in word skipping, a finding which is inconsistent with the view that the launch-site effect is caused by a saccadic-range error. We observe that distributions of landing positions in skipping saccades show an increased leftward shift compared to non-skipping saccades at equal launch-site distances. Using an improved algorithm for the estimation of mislocated fixations, we demonstrate the reliability of our results.
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