Word Processing in Reading: A Commentary on the Papers

Abstract

The articles in this issue deal primarily with the perceptual aspects of reading. Questions are raised about what kinds of information are available and are particularly important in reading, as well as to how a variety of perceptual variables influence the reader. Characteristics of letters, words, and text are discussed, including possible features of letters and words, letter position within a word, delimiters between words, and size, type, case, and arrangement of print. The Brady and the Morrison and Inhoff articles give particular emphasis to the issues of what kinds of visual information are available at various eccentricities. On a more theoretical level, questions are raised about a number of processing systems that subserve reading, particularly those which isolate words, direct eye movements, and extract information about letters and words. The Ehrlich and Coltheart articles address some of these questions with evidence obtained from developing and abnormal readers.