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During reading, more than one representation of words reaches the sensory receptors simultaneously. When a word fixates on the fovea, more information can be perceived in the parafoveal visual field. Therefore, some crucial questions for a proper understanding of language comprehension during reading are the nature and amount of information that can be extracted from the parafovea during a given fixation, and when and where parafoveal information is integrated with that from the fovea. Previous work with electrophysiology and eye-tracking has yielded conflicting results regarding these questions. Fixation-Related Potentials (FRPs) allow us to analyze EEG activity associated with specific eye events, and in previous experiments, we have shown that this technique is key to addressing this issue. In this project, we will focus on studying visual span (the area of the visual field in which we can recognize letters and words) and its influence on reading. We will test the hypothesis that individual differences in visual or attentional span can modulate parafoveal word perception in particular, and reading comprehension in general. To this end, we propose a series of experiments combining EEG and eye movement techniques, complemented by two neuroimaging studies. First, we will look for the electrophysiological correlates of visual/attentional span when readers process sublexical units (letters and syllables) presented in isolation in the parafoveal visual field, as well as when they process words in the parafovea during sentence reading. Data from these experiments will be analyzed in relation to different measures of reading performance to explore the impact of individual differences in parafoveal perception and reading. Second, due to the interesting characteristics of logographic typefaces compared to alphabetic ones (spatial distribution of characters, concentration of sub-lexical elements, etc.) in relation to parafoveal perception, we will compare the data from our experiments in Spanish with data obtained from reading in Mandarin Chinese. Finally, the designs used in previous experiments will be adapted for two fMRI experiments in which we will attempt to expand our understanding of the neural systems involved in parafoveal word perception. Specifically, we will explore activity in areas of the cortex that may be involved in the integration of parafoveal and foveal information.
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During reading, more than one word representation usually reaches the sensory receptors simultaneously. When one word is fixed at the fovea, there is still additional information that can be perceived in the parafoveal visual field. Therefore, issues that are central to understanding language comprehension in reading are the nature and amount of information that can be extracted from the parafovea during any given fixation and how and when this parafoveal information is integrated with foveal information. Previous electrophysiological and eye movement studies have led to contradictory results in relation to these questions. Fixation Related Potentials (FRPs) allow us to analyze the electroencephalographic (EEG) activity associated with specific ocular events, and in previous experiments we have demonstrated that this technique is key in addressing this topic. In the present project, we will focus on study of the visual span (the area in the visual field where we are able to recognize letters and words) and its influence on reading. We will test the hypothesis that individual Differences in the visual or attention span can modulate parafoveal word perception in particular, and reading comprehension in general. To this end, we propose a series of experiments combining EEG and eye tracking techniques, complemented with two neuroimaging experiments. In these experiments we will first of all identify the electrophysiological correlates of the visual/attention span when readers process isolated sublexical units (letters and syllables) presented in the parafoveal visual field, and when they process words in the parafovea during reading sentence. The data from these experiments will be analyzed in relation to different measures of reading performance, in order to explore the impact of individual differences on parafoveal perception and reading. Second, due to the interesting characteristics of logographic scripts compared to alphabetic ones in relation to parafoveal perception (spatial distribution within characters, concentration of sub-lexical elements, etc.), we will compare data from our experiments in Spanish with data from Mandarin Chinese reading. Finally, the experimental designs used in previous experiments will be adapted to two fMRI experiments in which will try to extend our knowledge of the anatomical bases of parafoveal word perception. Specifically, we will explore the activity in cortical areas that could be involved in the integration of the parafoveal information with the foveal one.
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