The effect of letter spacing on reading speed in central and peripheral vision.
The effect of letter spacing on reading speed in central and peripheral vision.
复制标题
DOI：
--
复制
发表时间：
2002-04
影响因子：
4.4
通讯作者：
Susana T. L. Chung
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Susana T. L. Chung
目的 拥挤，即由于相邻字母接近而产生的不利空间相互作用，被认为是周边视觉阅读缓慢的一种解释。本研究的目的是探讨是否可以通过增加字母间距来提高正常周边视力的阅读速度。还测试了字母间距是否对小字体和大字体的阅读速度施加了不同的限制。方法 六名正常观察者通过快速串行视觉演示 (RSVP) 大声朗读计算机显示器上显示的单个短句，一次一个单词。阅读速度是根据 RSVP 暴露持续时间计算的，正确阅读的单词率为 80%。字母以 Courier（一种固定宽度的字体）呈现。测试在中央凹、下视野5度和10度处进行。首先通过使用标准字母间距（相邻字母的中心到中心间隔；标准 Courier 间距：小写字母 x 宽度的 1.16 倍）测量四种打印尺寸的阅读速度，确定每个观察者的临界打印尺寸 (CPS)。然后以 0.8 x 或 1.5x CPS 呈现文本，并测量五个字母间距的阅读速度，范围为标准间距的 0.5 倍到 2 倍。结果 正如预期的那样，读取速度在中央凹处最高，随着偏心率的增加而降低，并且对于较大的打印尺寸更快。在所有偏心率和两种打印尺寸下，阅读速度随着字母间距的增加而增加，直至达到临界字母间距，然后在相同的阅读速度下保持恒定，或者对于较大的字母间距略有下降。临界字母间距的值非常接近标准字母间距，并且不依赖于偏心率或打印尺寸。结论 增加超出标准尺寸的字母间距可能会减少拥挤的不利影响，但不会导致中央或周边视力的阅读速度提高。
PURPOSE Crowding, the adverse spatial interaction due to proximity of adjacent letters, has been suggested as an explanation for slow reading in peripheral vision. The purpose of this study was to examine whether reading speed can be improved in normal peripheral vision by increasing the letter spacing. Also tested was whether letter spacing imposes a different limit on reading speed of small versus large print. METHODS Six normal observers read aloud single, short sentences presented on a computer monitor, one word at a time, by rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP). Reading speeds were calculated based on the RSVP exposure durations yielding 80% correctly read words. Letters were rendered in Courier, a fixed-width font. Testing was conducted at the fovea, 5 degrees and 10 degrees in the inferior visual field. The critical print size (CPS) was first determined for each observer by measuring reading speeds for four print sizes, using the standard letter spacing (center-to-center separation of adjacent letters; standard Courier spacing: 1.16 times the width of the lowercase x). Text was then presented at 0.8 x or 1.5x CPS, and reading speed was measured for five letter spacings, ranging from 0.5 times to 2 times the standard spacing. RESULTS As expected, reading speed was highest at the fovea, decreased with eccentricity, and was faster for the larger print size. At all eccentricities and for both print sizes, reading speed increased with letter spacing, up to a critical letter spacing, and then either remained constant at the same reading speed or decreased slightly for larger letter spacings. The value of the critical letter spacing was very close to the standard letter spacing and did not depend on eccentricity or print size. CONCLUSIONS Increased letter spacing beyond the standard size, which presumably decreases the adverse effect of crowding, does not lead to an increase in reading speed in central or peripheral vision.