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Updated: May 6, 2026

Using Eye Movements to Evaluate the Cognitive Processes Involved in Text Comprehension
Published on: January 10, 2014
Visual attention in reading: Eye movements reflect cognitive processes
1Center for Development, Learning, and Instruction, or Department of Psychology, University of Rochester, 14627, Rochester, New York.
Abstract:
Two hypotheses regarding the nature of fixation durations in reading were discussed. One position suggests that semantic processing lags behind the perceptual input of information. The other position suggests that semantic processing is more rapid and immediate. Eye movement data of skilled readers reading passages of text were analyzed. It was found that the main verb of the sentence received more visual attention than other key grammatical elements within a sentence. On the basis of the overall result pattern, it was argued that eye movements are affected by cognitive processes occurring at the time of the fixations.
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