Directional Scanning as a Function of Stimulus Characteristics, Reading Habits, and Directional Set

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Abstract
Direction of scanning of horizontally presented visual stimuli was studied as a function of directional stimulus characteristics, subject's acquired reading habits, and experimentally manipulated directional set. Thirty-two English readers and 32 Hebrew readers were shown stimuli with directional characteristics (English and Hebrew letters) and stimuli with no directional characteristics (arrays of different circles, bars, colors, and geometric figures) for scanning. The results showed that, while directional stimulus characteristics affected the direction of scanning of letter stimuli, reading habits affected the strength of these directional scanning tendencies. Nonletter stimuli were found to be differentially affected by reading habits. Experimentally manipulated conditions affected performance, but specific set effect was found for Hebrew readers only. Finally, Takala's finding of subjects' tendency to attend to stimuli in the left visual field was reconfirmed and extended in the present study.