Individual differences in working memory during reading with and without parafoveal information: A moving-window study.

We examined individual differences in working memory appearing in the effective visual field size while reading Japanese text. Working memory capacity was measured by a Japanese reading span test, and the subjects were divided into high- and low-score groups. Reading performance was measured by read...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:American Journal of Psychology Vol. 115; no. 4; pp. 501 - 514
Autores principales: Osaka, Naoyuki, Osaka, Mariko
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: University of Illinois Press Winter 2002
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:We examined individual differences in working memory appearing in the effective visual field size while reading Japanese text. Working memory capacity was measured by a Japanese reading span test, and the subjects were divided into high- and low-score groups. Reading performance was measured by reading time, comprehension, and eye movements using a variable moving window through which the subject could read areas of the Japanese text. As the window size decreased, the reading time increased significantly. High-span subjects showed better performance in reading time, comprehension, and fixation duration than low-span subjects even in small visual fields. Interestingly, high-span subjects appear to show better information integration during reading, whereas low-span subjects showed less integration without parafoveal vision. These findings suggest that reading performance was better for subjects with larger working memory resources in a parafoveal restriction condition. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.