On the Role and Control of Eye Movements in Reading

Abstract

Three issues concerning reading are considered the integration of visual information across fixations, the asymmetry of the perceptual span, and the control of eye movements. A model of eye movement control is described which is compatible with present data on these issues, and which may clarify the relationship between language and eye behavior in reading. For nearly a century psychologists have examined eye movement records in order to discover the mental activities occurring during reading. Although decades of research have produced many summary statistics about eye movement patterns, few conclusions about the perceptual and comprehension processes taking place during reading have been reached. Most of the studies have provided information about eye movements, not about reading.