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Subtle increases in interletter spacing facilitate the encoding of words during normal reading
1ERI-Lectura and Departament de Metodologia, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain. mperea@valencia.edu
Plos One
|October 20, 2012
Summary
Increasing interletter spacing slightly improves word encoding during normal reading. This finding suggests adjustable spacing could enhance digital reading ease.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Reading Science
Background:
- Recent studies show faster word identification with increased interletter spacing.
- This benefit is linked to early-stage visual encoding processes.
- Implications for digital reading ease are significant.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if increased interletter spacing benefits normal reading.
- To determine if enhanced word encoding generalizes to sentence-level reading.
Main Methods:
- Eye-tracking was used to monitor participants reading sentences.
- Sentences were presented with default, +1.0, and +1.5 interletter spacing.
- Fixation durations were measured as a key reading metric.
Main Results:
- Fixation durations decreased as interletter spacing increased.
- The briefest fixation times were observed with +1.5 spacing.
- Default spacing resulted in the slowest reading.
Conclusions:
- Subtle increases in interletter spacing facilitate word encoding during reading.
- Interletter spacing is a critical factor influencing reading ease.
- Adjustable interletter spacing may improve future e-reading devices.
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