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Eye-tracking to Distinguish Comprehension-based and Oculomotor-based Regressive Eye Movements During Reading
Published on: October 18, 2018
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Reading vertically and horizontally mirrored text: An eye movement investigation
Katharina Pittrich1, Sascha Schroeder1
1Department of Educational Psychology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006)
|March 1, 2022
Summary
Reading mirrored text, both vertical and horizontal, slows down cognitive processes. Horizontal mirroring is especially disruptive, impacting word identification and reading effort.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Visual Perception
- Reading Science
Background:
- Reading involves complex cognitive processes.
- Text mirroring can alter visual input.
- The impact of mirrored text on reading is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cognitive mechanisms underlying reading of vertically and horizontally mirrored text.
- To compare the effects of different mirroring types on reading speed and effort.
Main Methods:
- Eye-tracking was used to monitor participants reading the Potsdam Sentence Corpus.
- Sentences were presented in three conditions: normal, vertically mirrored, and horizontally mirrored.
- Word length and frequency were manipulated to analyze reading patterns.
Main Results:
- Reading speed decreased in both mirrored conditions, with horizontal mirroring being more disruptive.
- Increased effects of word length and frequency were observed in mirrored conditions, indicating effortful, serial processing.
- Later reading measures showed pronounced effects in horizontal mirroring, suggesting a late checking mechanism.
Conclusions:
- Text mirroring significantly impacts both early visual identification and later linguistic processing during reading.
- Horizontal mirroring poses a greater challenge, requiring more effortful processing and late checking mechanisms.
- Findings highlight the sensitivity of reading processes to visual transformations.
