Abstract
The visual angle subtended by alphabetic stimuli seems to be given little regard in a large proportion of reading research. Existing empirical evidence suggests that this disregard may be unwise. We describe a modification to video monitors and oscilloscopes that allows the screen size of stimuli to be varied and permits words to be displayed at appropriate visual angles with accuracy and comparative ease. Other advantages of these modifications are also discussed.
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This work was supported by Grant G8408210N from the British Medical Research Council, and by the facilities of the Technical Department of the University of Reading Psychology Department. Many thanks to Bernard Moulden and Philip T. Smith for helpful discussions, to Peter McClatchie for performing the oscilloscope modification, and to four anonymous reviewers for their comments on an earlier version of this paper.
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Jordan, T., Martin, C. The importance of visual angle in word recognition: A “shrinking screen” modification for visual displays. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers 19, 307–310 (1987). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03202566
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03202566