Preview benefit during eye fixations in reading for older and younger readers.

Older and younger readers read sentences as their eye movements were recorded, and the boundary paradigm (Rayner, 1975) was used to present either a valid or an invalid parafoveal preview of a target word. During the saccade to the target word, the preview word changed to the target word. For early measures of processing time (first fixation duration and single fixation duration), the standard preview benefit effect (shorter fixation times on the target word with a valid preview than an invalid preview) was obtained for both older and younger readers. However, for gaze duration and go-past time, the preview benefit was somewhat attenuated in the older readers in comparison to the younger readers, suggesting that on some fixations older readers obtain less preview benefit from the word to the right of fixation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The frequency-predictability interaction in reading: It depends where you're coming from.

A word's frequency of occurrence and its predictability from a prior context are key factors determining how long the eyes remain on that word in normal reading. Past reaction-time and eye movement research can be distinguished by whether these variables, when combined, produce interactive or additive results, respectively. Our study addressed possible methodological limitations of prior experiments. Initial results showed additive effects of frequency and predictability. However, we additionally examined launch site (the distance from the pretarget fixation to the target) to index the extent of parafoveal target processing. Analyses revealed both additive and interactive effects on target fixations, with the nature of the interaction depending on the quality of the parafoveal preview. Target landing position and pretarget fixation time were also considered. Results were interpreted in terms of models of language processing and eye movement control. Our findings with respect to parafoveal preview and fixation time constraints aim to help parameterize eye movement behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrating information across fixations during reading: The use of orthographic bodies and of exterior letters.

Eye movements were recorded to determine whether the parafoveally visible orthographic body of a bisyllabic target word facilitated recognition during the next target fixation. Eye-movement-contingent display changes revealed part of the target, including its orthographic body, or its beginning letters, when it was parafoveally available, but the full target was visible after it was fixated. Target viewing durations showed no benefit from parafoveal preview of orthographic bodies. Instead, preview benefits derived primarily from the preview of word-initial letters. Examination of oculomotor activity revealed that single target fixations were common when the pretarget word received more than one fixation; conversely, more than one target fixation was common when the pretarget word had received a single fixation. Interword fixation strategies thus affected target viewing, but use of parafoveal target previews was unaffected by these strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parafoveal processing of word n + 2 during reading: Do the preceding words matter?

We used the boundary paradigm (Rayner, 1975) to test two hypotheses that might explain why no conclusive evidence has been found for the existence of n + 2 preprocessing effects. In Experiment 1, we tested whether parafoveal processing of the second word to the right of fixation (n + 2) takes place only when the preceding word (n + 1) is very short (Angele, Slattery, Yang, Kliegl, & Rayner, 2008); word n + 1 was always a three-letter word. Before crossing the boundary, preview for both words n + 1 and n + 2 was either incorrect or correct. In a third condition, only the preview for word n + 1 was incorrect. In Experiment 2, we tested whether word frequency of the preboundary word (n) had an influence on the presence of preview benefit and parafoveal-on-foveal effects. Additionally, Experiment 2 contained a condition in which only preview of n + 2 was incorrect. Our findings suggest that effects of parafoveal n + 2 preprocessing are not modulated by either n + 1 word length or n frequency. Furthermore, we did not observe any evidence of parafoveal lexical preprocessing of word n + 2 in either experiment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Spatial precues affect target discrimination in the absence of visual noise.

In 2 earlier sets of experiments, the author reported that shape discrimination in an otherwise empty visual field is facilitated when the target shape is preceded by a valid spatial precue (J. M. Henderson, see record 78:17400; J. M. Henderson & A. D. Macquistan, see record 80:32246). L. Shiu and H. Pashler (see record 1995-08196-001) recently suggested that these earlier results were due to the presence of multiple posttarget pattern masks. They concluded that precue effects are observed only when visual noise is present. The author reviews the existing evidence and presents new data supporting the view that spatial precues influence shape discrimination in the absence of visual noise, consistent with a limited capacity conception of visual–spatial attention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parafoveal preview during reading: Effects of sentence position.

Two experiments examined parafoveal preview for words located in the middle of sentences and at sentence boundaries. Parafoveal processing was shown to occur for words at sentence-initial, mid-sentence, and sentence-final positions. Both Experiments 1 and 2 showed reduced effects of preview on regressions out for sentence-initial words. In addition, Experiment 2 showed reduced preview effects on first-pass reading times for sentence-initial words. These effects of sentence position on preview could result from either reduced parafoveal processing for sentence-initial words or other processes specific to word reading at sentence boundaries. In addition to the effects of preview, the experiments also demonstrate variability in the effects of sentence wrap-up on different reading measures, indicating that the presence and time course of wrap-up effects may be modulated by text-specific factors. We also report simulations of Experiment 2 using version 10 of E-Z Reader (Reichle, Warren, & McConnell, 2009), designed to explore the possible mechanisms underlying parafoveal preview at sentence boundaries. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exterior letters are not privileged in the early stage of visual word recognition during reading: Comment on Jordan, Thomas, Patching and Scott-Brown (2003).

Potential sources for the discrepancy between the letter position effects in T. R. Jordan, S. M. Thomas, G. R. Patching, and K. C. Scott-Brown's (2003; see record 2003-07955-013) and D. Briihl and A. W. Inhoff s (1995; see record 1995-20036-001) studies are examined. The authors conclude that the lack of control over where useful information is acquired during reading in Jordan et al.'s study, rather than differences in the orthographic consistency and the availability of word shape information, account for the discrepant effect pattern in the 2 studies. The processing of a word during reading begins before it is fixated, when beginning letters occupy a particularly favorable parafoveal location that is independent of word length. Knowledge of parafoveal word length cannot be used to selectively process exterior letters during the initial phase of visual word recognition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parafoveal processing of words and saccade computation during eye fixations in reading.

Studied parafoveal word processing during eye fixations in reading to answer two questions: (a) Is the processing of parafoveally available words limited to the identification of beginning letters? (b) Does the parafoveal processing of words affect the following interword saccade? Reading afforded either no parafoveal preview, preview of beginning trigrams, preview of ending trigrams, or preview of the whole parafoveal word. Previews were controlled by replacing original letters either with X's or dissimilar letters. Preview benefits were larger for the whole word previews than for beginning or ending trigram previews. X-masks yielded preview benefits from intact beginning and ending trigrams but dissimilar letter masks yielded benefits from beginning trigrams only. Saccades were larger for whole word previews than for no previews. These results support Logogen-type models of word recognition and a model of saccade computation that posits a time-locked functional relation between the acquisition of parafoveal word information and the positioning of each fixation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The case of Gary: In search of post-hoc quixotic flexibility.

Responds to M. F. Hoyt's (see record 1995-22250-001) commentary on T. F. Van Denburg and E. J. Van Denburg's (see record 1994-18427-001) response to Hoyt's (see record 1994-18395-001) commentary on Van Denburg and Van Denburg's (see record 1993-06526-001) article about a case of premature therapy termination. Issues related to limits and flexibility in treatment are addressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The case of Gary: Alternatives perhaps, incapable no.

Responds to M. F. Hoyt's (see record 1994-18395-001) critique of T. F. Van Denburg and E. J. Van Denburg's (see record 1993-06526-001) article on premature termination of therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counselor discrimination against women: Additional information.

Replies to M. L. Smith's (see record 1979-29888-001) and to T. E. Nygren and K. F. Widaman's (see record 1979-27728-001) criticisms of the author and J. W. Costar's (see record 1978-24142-001) finding that counselors discriminate against women. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adult age differences in the perceptual span during reading.

Following up on research suggesting an age-related reduction in the rightward extent of the perceptual span during reading (Rayner, Castelhano, & Yang, 2009), we compared old and young adults in an N + 2-boundary paradigm in which a nonword preview of word N + 2 or word N + 2 itself is replaced by the target word once the eyes cross an invisible boundary located after word N. The intermediate word N + 1 was always three letters long. Gaze durations on word N + 2 were significantly shorter for identical than nonword N + 2 preview both for young and for old adults, with no significant difference in this preview benefit. Young adults, however, did modulate their gaze duration on word N more strongly than old adults in response to the difficulty of the parafoveal word N + 1. Taken together, the results suggest a dissociation of preview benefit and parafoveal-on-foveal effect. Results are discussed in terms of age-related decline in resilience towards distributed processing while simultaneously preserving the ability to integrate parafoveal information into foveal processing. As such, the present results relate to proposals of regulatory compensation strategies older adults use to secure an overall reading speed very similar to that of young adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Therapeutic flexibility in the case of Gary: Too little, too late.

Responds to T. F. Van Denburg and E. J. Van Denburg's (see record 1994-18427-001) response to M. F. Hoyt's (see record 1994-18395-001) commentary on Van Denburg and Van Denburg's (see record 1993-06526-001) article about a case of premature therapy termination. When a treatment is not working try something different. The issue is not long vs short therapy, but a readiness to respond flexibly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Wrestling with ambiguity—further reflections: Reply to Masson and Borowsky (1995) and Rueckl (1995).

As noted by S. Joordens and D. Besner (see record 1995-07873-001), a number of distributed models of word recognition encounter difficulties when processing words that have multiple meanings because of competition that occurs when the multiple meanings attempt to instantiate their patterns of activation across a semantic level of representation. This contrasts with humans' lack of difficulty in naming and lexical decision when processing ambiguous words in the absence of a manipulated context. Joordens and Besner therefore concluded that the processing of ambiguous words represents an interesting challenge for distributed models of word recognition. A number of critical issues highlighted in the commentaries by M. E. J. Masson and R. Borowsky (see record 1995-31413-001) and by J. G. Rueckl (see record 1995-31416-001) are addressed in the present article. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpersonal phenomenology as a function of sexual orientation, sex, sentiment, and trait categories in long-term dyadic relationships.

Studied homo- and heterosexual relationships with the Extended Personal Attributes Questionnaire (EPAQ) as modified by the interpersonal perception method (IPM). Ss were 20 gay male, 20 lesbian, and 40 heterosexual couples. The F+ scale of the EPAQ accounted for greater congruence among IPM perspectives than any of the other EPAQ scales (M+, M–, F–). Positive EPAQ scales showed more consistency among inter- and intrapersonal perspectives than negative scales. Homosexual partners perceived themselves more similar to each other on the F+ scales than did heterosexual partners. Ss with female partners had higher expectations and greater accuracy in these expectations than those with male partners. Differences within the interpersonal phenomenology of heterosexual couples found in an earlier study by the 2nd author and W. J. Friedman (see record 1984-01263-001) were fully replicated. Treating the M and F scales of the EPAQ as instrumental and expressive traits rather than masculine and feminine sex roles, as suggested by J. T Spence and R. L. Helmreich (see record 1982-12888-001), clarifies the interpretation of these results. (75 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Hudson-Dunn clustering index revisited.

Shows that the clustering index presented by F. Frankel and M. Cole (see record 1972-00179-001) is identical to one previously published by R. Hudson and J. Dunn (see record 1969-08920-001). A limitation of the Hudson-Dunn index is mentioned. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Encounter research.

Refers readers interested in the article by D. Hartley et al (see record 1977-01609-001) to 4 articles on encounter research by M. J. Diamond and J. L. Shapiro (see record 1976-05062-001), J. Rowan (see record 1976-02670-001), W. Schutz (see record 1976-02672-001), and P. B. Smith (see record 1976-02673-001). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"More on determinants of delay of gratification": Reply to Kihlstrom.

Respond to J. F. Kihlstrom's (see record 1986-21976-001) comments regarding the present author and M. J. Harris's (see record 1986-20971-001) reanalysis of W. Mischel's (see record 1985-06679-001) data relating to the influence of personality and situational variables on the delay of gratification by clarifying that the intention of the article by the present author and Harris was not to establish the superiority of personality variables relative to cognitive ones but to counter the frequent implication that cognitive factors can be preferred on the grounds of effect size alone. (1 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Eye Movements and Word Skipping During Reading Revisited.

The authors examined word skipping in reading in 2 experiments. In Experiment 1, skipping rates were higher for a preview of a predictable word than for a visually similar nonword, indicating there is full recognition in parafoveal vision. In Experiment 2, foveal load was manipulated by varying the frequency of the word preceding either a 3-letter target word or a misspelled preview. There was again a higher skipping rate for a correct preview and a lower skipping rate when there was a high foveal load, but there was no interaction, and the pattern of effects in fixation times was the same as in the skipping data. Experiment 2 also showed significant skipping of nonwords similar to the target word, indicating skipping based on partial information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)