One page of text: Eye movements during regular and thorough reading, skimming, and spell checking.

Alexander Strukelj,Diederick C Niehorster

doi:10.16910/jemr.11.1.1

Abstract

Eye movements during regular reading, thorough reading, skimming, and spell checking of single pages of text were measured, to investigate how high-level reading tasks elicited by instructions affect reading behavior. Word frequency and word length effects were found. All results were compared to regular reading. Thorough reading involved longer total reading times and more rereading, and resulted in higher comprehension scores. Skimming involved longer saccades, shorter average fixation durations, more word skipping, shorter total reading times evenly distributed across the page, and resulted in lower comprehension scores. Spell checking involved shorter saccades, longer average fixation durations, less word skipping, longer total reading times evenly distributed across the entire page, and resulted in lower comprehension scores. Replicating local effects shows that paragraphs maintain sufficient experimental rigor, while also enabling reading analyses from a global perspective. Compared to regular reading, thorough reading was more elaborate and less uniform, skimming was faster and more uniform, and spell checking was slower and more uniform.

Highlights

Eye movements during regular reading, thorough reading, skimming, and spell checking of single pages of text were measured, to investigate how high-level reading tasks elicited by instructions affect reading behavior
Effects found in eye-tracking research on single sentences were replicated in this study, namely the word frequency effect showing increasing first fixation durations on less frequent words, as well as the word length effect showing increasing first fixation durations on longer words
With regards to the reading pattern over the entire page, similarities were found with regular reading, with total reading times and total number of visits steadily decreasing down the page

Summary

Introduction

Eye movements during regular reading, thorough reading, skimming, and spell checking of single pages of text were measured, to investigate how high-level reading tasks elicited by instructions affect reading behavior. Studies using paragraphs or multiple pages of text are much more infrequent, with many open questions remaining This has lead researchers to call for more eye-tracking research at this more natural level of reading (e.g., Jarodzka & Brand-Gruwel, 2017). We present participants with pages of text, along with instructions to read them using four different reading strategies; regular reading, thorough reading, skimming, and spell checking. The aim is to determine the characteristics of thorough reading, skimming, and spell checking, compared to regular reading, and how the differences manifest in eye movement measures. Research using single sentences is crucial when investigating specific features of the reading process, but should not be used when the investigation of “natural” reading is of interest

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Discussion

Conclusion