Individual Differences in Reading and Eye Movement Control

This chapter explores the effects of reading ability upon eye movement control. In terms of linguistic influences, it presents evidence for initial fixations within words being affected by the informativeness /distinctiveness of sections within those words. It further explores evidence of a relationship between the initial fixation location effect and reading ability in able readers. Such relationships are investigated by comparing eye movement control with reading disabled subjects and matched control subjects. These data suggest that a number of individuals diagnosed as dyslexic show less influence of informativeness/distinctiveness ahead of fixation, and this is related to lower levels of reading ability within these subjects. In conclusion, the study draws a relationship between reading deficits and the initial fixation location effect. Collected data indicates that the initial fixation location effect can be found within a wide range of different situations and, to some extent, is affected by variables commonly found to influence reading performance. Of the two factors which this study investigates, the initial fixation location effect seems to be more affected by the skill of the reader than the semantic context within which informative beginning/ending words appear.