Stickel, Noe (2025) Manipulating Reading Speed and Accuracy via Attention Modulation. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Previous research suggests that manipulating attention in reading can improve reading speed. We aimed to replicate this finding by modulating attention via text manipulation and brain stimulation. We specifically aimed to replicate the parafoveal preview benefit and the finding that right-hemisphere α-tACS inhibits covert attention to contralateral stimuli. Other than the studies having reported the latter effect, our reading task included conditions allowing for both covert and overt attention. Moreover, we investigated whether any observed increases in speed may be due to speed-accuracy trade-offs. We hypothesized that (1) participants read faster in natural reading trials (i.e. trails without a gaze-contingent moving window) and (2) accuracy is higher (or equal) in natural reading trials. We also hypothesized that (3) participants read faster while receiving right-hemisphere occipito-parietal α-tACS as compared to both sham and left-hemisphere α-tACS and that (4) accuracy is higher (equal) right-hemisphere occipito-parietal α-tACS as compared to both sham and left-hemisphere α-tACS. To test these hypotheses, we created a three-by-two repeated measures experiment with a sample of 18 university students without reading impairments. These participants completed a sentence-reading task with comprehension questions. Our results suggest that the possibility to shift covert attention to parafoveally available words significantly facilitates reading speed (preview benefit) without impairing accuracy. We did not find any significant effect of α-tACS on either reading speed or performance. These results suggest that the parafoveal preview benefit is not due to speed-accuracy trade-offs and as such implies that increasing reading speed is generally possible without compromising accuracy.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Dimigen, O.C. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 26 Aug 2025 12:07 |
| Last Modified: | 26 Aug 2025 12:07 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5882 |
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