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Effects of word length on eye guidance differ for young and older Chinese readers.

ABSTRACT: Effects of word length on where and for how long readers fixate within text are preserved in older age for alphabetic languages like English that use spaces to demarcate word boundaries. However, word length effects for older readers of naturally unspaced, character-based languages like Chinese are unknown. Accordingly, we examined age differences in eye movements for short (2-character) and long (4-character) words during Chinese reading. Word length effects on eye-fixation times were greater for older than younger adults. We suggest this age difference is due to older adults' saccades landing more rarely at optimal intraword locations, especially in longer words. (PsycINFO Database Record

SUBMITTER: Li S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6001944 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Effects of word length on eye guidance differ for young and older Chinese readers.

Li Sha S Li Lin L Wang Jingxin J McGowan Victoria A VA Paterson Kevin B KB

Psychology and aging 20180601 4

Effects of word length on where and for how long readers fixate within text are preserved in older age for alphabetic languages like English that use spaces to demarcate word boundaries. However, word length effects for older readers of naturally unspaced, character-based languages like Chinese are unknown. Accordingly, we examined age differences in eye movements for short (2-character) and long (4-character) words during Chinese reading. Word length effects on eye-fixation times were greater f ...[more]

PMID: 29902059

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