Reading

Psy315 - Class 16

(This page last updated 5 March, 2009)

Much of what we know about reading comes from studies in which eye movements are tracked.

Moving Window Technique

• Only a few letters on either side of fixated letter are visible.
• As eye moves to new location, new letters around the new fixation point become visible, and letters that were once visible disappear.

Moving window can be used to determine size of "perceptual span" during reading.

• If the window is the same size to the left and right of fixation, then it must be 30 letters wide for reading speed to be as fast as it is when all characters are visible.
• Actually, however, many fewer letters on left are used than on right.
  • Only about 4 letters.
• Thus, perceptual span in reading English is 3-4 letters on left, and 14-15 letters on right.
• Perceptual span is smaller for reading Chinese and Japanese.
  • More information in each character.
• Hebrew is read right-to-left.
  • For reading Hebrew, perceptual span is larger on left than on right.
• Perceptual span larger for good readers than for poor readers.

next class: Visual Awareness

Psych 315: Cognitive Psychology Kyle Cave Psychology Dept. U. Mass.