Opraus, Klar (2025) Neuromodulation of Attention in Reading: The Effect of Left Hemispheric Occipital-Parietal tACS on Reading Speed in Natural Reading. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Attention plays an important role in reading; studies have shown that visuospatial attention affects word perception (Montani et al., 2014) preview processing (Henderson & Ferreira, 1990). In the present study, we attempted to manipulate the visuospatial attention with intent of affecting the reading performance showing a link between visuospatial attention and reading performance. Based on rightward alpha lateralisation in the previous reading studies (Kornrumpf et al., 2017), I posited that transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) over left occipito parietal cortex would negatively affect reading speed. We designed a single-blind within participant study where participants were asked to read sets of sentences while receiving non-invasive brain stimulation and having their eye movements measured by an eye-link tracker. Our balanced experimental design had three stimulation conditions (left, right and sham) and two different reading conditions (natural and window-paradigm reading). I hypothesised the left stimulation condition would negatively affect the reading speed, resulting in longer total reading times compared to right and sham conditions. In order to explain the longer reading time a mediator of increased regressions was proposed. A total of 18 participants were used in our analysis and repeated measures anova showed no significant differences between total reading times or frequencies of regressions across the three stimulation conditions. Theoretical implications and limitations of the current study are discussed in the final section. Keywords: Visuospatial attention, tACS, Reading and attention, Regressive saccades
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Dimigen, O.C. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 30 Jul 2025 13:56 |
| Last Modified: | 30 Jul 2025 13:56 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5773 |
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