Fast Readers Think Ahead

Reading requires not only processing of the word currently in focus but also pre-processing of upcoming words in the parafovea. Although it is well established that lower-level orthographic and phonological features are processed parafoveally, it remains unclear whether higher-level characteristics such as semantic information are also pre-processed in this way. In a recent study published in Nature Communications, Lijuan Wang and colleagues recorded eye movements and brain activity with magnetoencephalography in participants reading sentences. Using representational similarity analysis, they found that orthographic parafoveal processing begins around 68 ms after fixation onset on the pre-target word, particularly in the left visual word form area. This was followed by semantic processing from 137 ms after fixation onset, particularly in the left inferior frontal gyrus and right posterior parietal cortex. They also showed that individuals with stronger orthographic and semantic parafoveal effects were faster readers. These results indicate that there is a hierarchical organization of parafoveal processing, where orthographic information is accessed first, followed by semantic information, and highlight the importance of parafoveal processing in reading proficiency. The work may prove useful in designing materials or strategies to support fluent reading.

Original reference: Nat. Commun. 16, 8893 (2025)

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout