Eye movements and spatial coding in reading

Two experiments are reported which test the hypothesis that during reading subjects maintain in working memory a record of the spatial location of items and that this code is used to guide reinspections. In the first experiment the premisses of short syllogisms were read, one word at a time, under three presentation conditions: (a) in correct temporal order and in appropriate sequential spatial locations; (b) in correct temporal order but in random spatial locations; (c) in correct temporal order and in a single central location. A measure was taken of the time to respond to possible conclusions of the syllogisms. Solution times were longer in conditions (b) and (c) relative to (a). In the second experiment eye movements were recorded as subjects judged the soundness of auditorily presented conclusions following visual presentation of the premisses of syllogisms. Non-random eye movements took place during the solution phase directed to locations previously occupied by text in the display.