Abstract
This experiment tested the hypothesis that the time of utilization of information during eye fixations is sometimes delayed because concurrent comprehension processes are still occupied with analyzing previous information (the variable utilization time hypothesis). The method of determining the time of utilization used in previous experiments (Blanchard, McConkie, Zola, & Wolverton, 1984) was combined with a manipulation of comprehension difficulty. The comprehension manipulation involved varying the distance between a pronoun and its referent, which Ehrlich and Rayner (1983) had shown to cause delayed processing effects. The desired effects were not obtained in this experiment; thus the variable utilization time hypothesis cannot be properly tested with these results. Reasons for the failure to replicate Ehrlich and Rayner’s (1983) effects are investigated. Also, some unpredicted results that support the variable utilization time hypothesis are discussed.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Blanchard, H. E. (1985). The dynamics of perception during fixations in reading. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Blanchard, H. E., McConKIE, G. W., Zola, D., & Wolverton, G. (1984). Time course of visual information utilization during fixations in reading. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, 10, 75–89.
Carroll, P., & Slowiaczek, M. L. (in press). Modes and modules: Multiple pathways in the language processor. In J. L. Garfield (Ed.), Modularity in sentence comprehension: Knowledge representation and natural language understanding. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Clifton, C, Jr., & Ferreira, F. (in press). Discourse structure and anaphora: Some experimental results. In M. Coltheart (Ed.), Attention and performance XII. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Ehrlich, K. (1983). Eye movements in pronoun assignment: A study of sentence integration. In K. Rayner (Ed.), Eye movements in reading: Perceptual and language processes (pp. 253–268). New York: Academic Press.
Ehrlich, K., & Rayner, K. (1983). Pronoun assignment and semantic integration during reading: Eye movements and immediacy of processing. Journal of Verbal Learning & Verbal Behavior, 22, 75–87.
Kantor, R. N. (1977). The management and comprehension of discourse connection by pronouns in English. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, Columbus.
McConkie, G. W. (1983). Eye movements and perception during reading. In K. Rayner (Ed.), Eye movements in reading: Perceptual and language processes (pp. 65–96). New York: Academic Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Support for this research came from National Institute of Education Contract 400-81-0030 to the Center for the Study of Reading, University of Illinois.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Blanchard, H.E. The effects of pronoun processing on information utilization during fixations in reading. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 25, 171–174 (1987). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03330319
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03330319