Basic Processes in Reading

Two important basic processes in reading, eye movement control and word recognition, are discussed in this chapter. While other aspects of reading are very important, we view eye movement control and word recognition as essential basic processes in learning to read and in skilled reading. We first review research on the characteristics of eye movements during reading and also discuss the perceptual span (or area of effective vision) during an eye fixation, preview benefit, and the control of eye movements. We then review research on word recognition, discussing how letters and words are processed, the role of phonological coding in word processing, and the role of context in word recognition.