Abstract
The present experiment measured eye fixations in reading to determine whether word frequency affects the processing of the fixated word and the processing of the word to the right of the fixated word (the parafoveal word). In the experiment, subjects read sentences that contained either a critical high- or low-frequency target word. High- and low-frequency targets were matched on word length and a number of other variables. In one condition, parafoveal visual information to the right of the fixated word was denied or distorted; in other conditions, information about the parafoveal word to the right of the fixated word was available. The main results showed shorter fixations on high-frequency than on low-frequency target words. Furthermore, readers gained more effective previews from high-frequency parafoveal target words than from low-frequency parafoveal target words.
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This research was supported by Grant IN 27/1-1 of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft to Albrecht Inhoff and by Grants HD 12727 and HD 17246 to Keith Rayner.
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Inhoff, A.W., Rayner, K. Parafoveal word processing during eye fixations in reading: Effects of word frequency. Perception & Psychophysics 40, 431–439 (1986). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03208203
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03208203