@article{fc664a70d16e4e5cabe7ef5f62201cfb,
title = "Fixation location effects on fixation durations during reading: An inverted optimal viewing position effect",
abstract = "Previous research has found that words are identified most quickly when the eyes are near their center (the Optimal Viewing Position effect). A study was conducted to determine whether this same phenomenon is observed during reading, as revealed by a relationship between fixation position in a word and the duration of the fixation. An analysis of three large existing corpora of eye movement data, two from adults and one from children, showed a surprising inverted Optimal Viewing Position curve: mean fixation duration is greatest, rather than lowest, when the eyes were at the centers of words. From this phenomenon, we suggest an alternative explanation to the fixation duration trade-off effect in word refixations [O'Regan & L{\'e}vy-Schoen, Attention and performance XII: the psychology of reading (1987)]; the phenomenon also contradicts expectations of both oculomotor and cognitive theories of eye movement control. Attempts to test alternative explanations led to the discovery of another phenomenon, the Saccade Distance effect: mean fixation durations vary with the distance of the prior fixation from the currently-fixated word, being longer with greater distances. The durations of fixations in reading are complexly determined, with influences both from language and perceptual/oculomotor levels.",
keywords = "Eye movements, Fixation duration, Fixation location, Reading, Strategy, Word identification",
author = "Fran{\c c}oise Vitu and McConkie, {George W.} and Paul Kerr and O'Regan, {J. Kevin}",
note = "Funding Information: The present work was supported by a grant {\textquoteleft}Lavoisier{\textquoteright} from the {\textquoteleft}Minist{\`e}re des Affaires Etrang{\`e}res{\textquoteright} (France) giving F. Vitu the opportunity to conduct research at the Center for the Study of Reading and the Beckman Institute of Advanced Technology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1991), and by a grant from the Fyssen Fondation giving F. Vitu the possibility to pursue this work at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium (1992). This work was also supported by a NATO grant given to Fran{\c c}oise Vitu while she was a visiting researcher at the Beckman Institute-UIUC (1996–1997). Funding Information: The data used were from studies conducted at the University of Illinois, supported by grants from NIMH and NICHD to G. McConkie. Completion of the first version of the paper was accomplished while F. Vitu was working at the Laboratory of Albrecht Inhoff, Department of Psychology, SUNY-Binghamton, USA, and also while she was working at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, and also while G. McConkie was on sabbatical leave at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, supported by a Fogarty Senior International Fellowship. Appreciation is expressed for the encouragement of A. Inhoff in the USA and Gery d'Ydewalle in Belgium. We also thank M. Brysbaert and an anonymous reviewer for helpful comments. Funding Information: The present manuscript was revised while F. Vitu and G. McConkie were supported by a grant from a specific agreement between UIUC and CNRS. ",
year = "2001",
month = dec,
day = "10",
doi = "10.1016/S0042-6989(01)00166-3",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "41",
pages = "3513--3533",
journal = "Vision Research",
issn = "0042-6989",
publisher = "Elsevier Limited",
number = "25-26",
}