Abstract
Eye movements are an essential part of reading behavior. They are also interesting from a perceptual and information processing point of view, as they provide a way to study a very complex and yet ecologically valid mental process in a simple and well structured visual environment. In the current chapter we discuss a core issue of current research, the role of visual selective attention in reading. After introducing sequential attention shift models as the currently dominant theory of eye movement control we explore some limitations of this family of models. This includes a critique of the central claim that attention is allocated sequentially in a word-by-word fashion and a number of issues regarding the time line of information processing and oculomotor control. We conclude with a brief look at two alternative theoretical conceptions.
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Radach, R., Inhoff, A., Heller, D. (2002). The Role of Attention and Spatial Selection in Fluent Reading. In: Witruk, E., Friederici, A.D., Lachmann, T. (eds) Basic Functions of Language, Reading and Reading Disability. Neuropsychology and Cognition, vol 20. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1011-6_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1011-6_9
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