Effects of Chunking and Line Length on Reading Efficiency

Abstract

This study investigated whether text with one phrase or "chunk" on each line aids reading in comprehension and proofreading tasks. The chunked format was produced by a computer program that uses syntactic rules to determine chunk boundaries. Contrary to expectations, the chunked format was read significantly more slowly than the standard format in all tasks, at two difficulty levels, and with both screen and paper presentation. A new explanatory variable, line-length variability, could account for these results and also reconcile conflicting findings from previous research. From a literature review, we can infer that both chunking and shorter line lengths have positive effects on reading efficiency, but high line-length variability has a strong negative effect. Because chunking increases line-length variability, it can interfere with reading.