Brainy Type: a look at how the brain processes typographic information

Authors

  • Dr Myra Thiessen
  • Dr Mark Kohler
  • Dr Owen Churches
  • Scott Coussens
  • Dr Hannah Keage

Abstract

Despite a growing body of knowledge around how readers interact with texts our understanding of how the brain processes that information is relatively limited. This multidisciplinary (typography and cognitive neuroscience) study examines how the brain processes typographic information using EEG technology and shows the value of neuroscience methodologies to legibility research. By measuring the brain's response to a range of typographic stimuli we have shown that it is more difficult for the brain to process single letter information that is presented in harder to read compared to easier to read typefaces. This effect was evident at both the most basic levels of letter identification (0–300 milliseconds from stimuli onset) and also during sustained activity involving the working memory (after 300ms). This has implications for our understanding of legibility and how legibility research is further explored with the aim of developing a body of knowledge that has a wider application to how typographic design is practiced.

Author Biography

  • Dr Myra Thiessen
    Dr Myra Thiessen is a Lecturer in Visual Communication at the University of South Australia. Her research interests include typography for reading with a focus on the development of literacy and learning materials for children with reading difficulties.;Dr Mark Kohler', 'paragraph': 'Dr Mark Kohler is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of South Australia. His research interests include cognitive development and the psychophysiology of sleep.;Dr Owen Churches is a research fellow in the Brain and Cognition Laboratory at Flinders University where he investigates the cognitive neuroscience of new forms of social interaction including emoticons and profile pictures.;Scott Coussens is a physiologist and neuroscientist in the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of South Australia. His research interests include quantification and treatment of sleep disorders in children and the neurophysiology of language.;Dr Hannah Keage is a researcher in the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of South Australia. Her work focuses on the underlying neurobiology of cognition, and how this is affected in aging and dementia.

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Published

2015-04-01

Issue

Vol. 49 No. 1-2 (2015): Volume 49.1-2

Section

Journal Article