Effects of Reading Aloud and Subvocalization on Text Comprehension and Eye Movements

Abstract

The present study examined effects of reading aloud and subvocalization on text comprehension and eye movements, and also effects of type of subvocalization. In Experiment 1 , after 24 undergraduate students read sentences in 4 different experimental conditions: reading aloud, reading silently, reading with subvocalization, and reading without subvocalization, they completed verbatim memory and comprehension tests. The participants had lower scores on the verbatim memory test when they had read without subvocalization, which suggests that subvocalization may contribute to the retention of verbatim memories. The procedure of Experiment 2 was identical to that of Experiment 1 , except that the participants ( 23 undergraduate students) did not complete the verbatim memory test. Their performance on the comprehension test was lower after the condition in which they read without subvocalization than after they read with subvocalization. The analysis of the data revealed 2 types of readers: a full-subvocalization type and a minimal-subvocalization type. The performance of the latter type of readers was not lower when they read without subvocalization; furthermore, they had high performance in the silent reading condition, and their eye movement data indicated that they did more regressions. These results suggest that readers who do minimal subvocalization may move their eyes more freely and do more efficient silent reading.