Abstract
Four experiments were conducted comparing the ways in which reading and search are affected by manipulations of word shape and word boundary. Word shape was manipulated by variations in type (normal, capitals, and alternating upper- and lowercase), while word boundary was manipulated by variations in spacing (normal, filled, and absent). The variations were combined factorially for nine space-type combinations. Experiments I and II were basic studies examining the effects of the manipulations on reading and on search, respectively. Search was found to be 2 to 2.5 times faster than reading. Reading and search both slowed to one-third of the normal speeds when spaces were removed and type altered. A significant interaction of Type by Space was found for reading but not for search. Experiments III and IV examined contextual and typographical effects on high-speed visual search through paragraphs. Form-class expectancy and target word predictability, respectively, were manipulated. In both experiments, subjects found the expected predictable words faster than the unexpected unpredictable words. The data were interpreted as providing support for the peripheral and cognitive search guidance processes hypothesized to be active in reading.
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This paper is based on a dissertation submitted to the Department of Psychology, University of Rochester, In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the PhD. It was supported In part by National Institute of Mental Health Grant No. MH 07140, National Institute of Education Grant No. NE-G-003-0090, and U.S. Army Human Engineering Laboratory Contract No. DAAD-05-71-C-0407, all awarded to Ralph Norman Haber, Department of Psychology and Center for Visual Science University of Rochester. This paper may be reproduced in full or in part for any purpose of the United States Government.
The author is especially indebted to Ralph Norman Haber, who chaired his dissertation committee and provided valuable assistance throughout. Appreciation IS also expressed to Irene Athey Julian Hochberg, Richard A. Monty, and Clinton Walker for their valuable comments on earlier versions of the manuscript.
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Fisher, D.F. Reading and visual search. Memory & Cognition 3, 188–196 (1975). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03212897
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03212897