TY - JOUR
T1 - Rethinking parafoveal processing in reading
T2 - serial-attention models can explain semantic preview benefit and N+2 preview effects
AU - Schotter, Elizabeth R.
AU - Reichle, Erik D.
AU - Rayner, Keith
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - During reading, some information about the word to the right of fixation in the parafovea is typically acquired prior to that word being fixated. Although some degree parafoveal processing is uncontroversial, its precise nature and extent are unclear. For example, can it advance up to the level of semantic processing? Additionally, can it extend across more than two spatially adjacent words? Affirmative answers to either of these questions would seemingly be problematic for serial-attention models of eye-movement control in reading, which maintain that attention is allocated to only one word at a time (see Reichle, 2011). However, in this paper we report simulation results using one such model, E-Z Reader (Reichle, Pollatsek, Fisher, & Rayner, 1998), to examine the two preceding questions. These results suggest the existence of both semantic preview and N+2 preview effects, indicating that they are not incompatible with serial-attention models. We discuss the implications of these findings for models of eye-movement control in reading and provide a new theoretical framework for conceptualizing parafoveal processing during reading and its influence on eye movement behaviour.
AB - During reading, some information about the word to the right of fixation in the parafovea is typically acquired prior to that word being fixated. Although some degree parafoveal processing is uncontroversial, its precise nature and extent are unclear. For example, can it advance up to the level of semantic processing? Additionally, can it extend across more than two spatially adjacent words? Affirmative answers to either of these questions would seemingly be problematic for serial-attention models of eye-movement control in reading, which maintain that attention is allocated to only one word at a time (see Reichle, 2011). However, in this paper we report simulation results using one such model, E-Z Reader (Reichle, Pollatsek, Fisher, & Rayner, 1998), to examine the two preceding questions. These results suggest the existence of both semantic preview and N+2 preview effects, indicating that they are not incompatible with serial-attention models. We discuss the implications of these findings for models of eye-movement control in reading and provide a new theoretical framework for conceptualizing parafoveal processing during reading and its influence on eye movement behaviour.
KW - semantic preview benefit
KW - N+2
KW - preview benefit
KW - models of eye movement control
KW - reading
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84898028009&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13506285.2013.873508
DO - 10.1080/13506285.2013.873508
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84898028009
SN - 1350-6285
VL - 22
SP - 309
EP - 333
JO - Visual Cognition
JF - Visual Cognition
IS - 3-4
ER -