Abstract

As computers become increasingly immersed in daily life, more and more individuals are presented with the choice of reading electronic text. Though debate remains regarding the absolute causes, a reading decrement between electronic and paper text persists. The current study explores past reading research and examines the effects of two novel types of animated word-tracers on the reading speed and comprehension of electronic text. Twenty participants participated in the current study, which compared four conditions: line-tracer, box-tracer, no tracer, and paper for their effects on reading speed and comprehension and to determine subjective preferences for each technique. The findings indicate that participants using the line-tracer were able to significantly increase their reading speeds when compared to both the paper and no-tracer conditions. There was no significant different in comprehension between all conditions. However, subjective ratings indicate that participants rated reading from paper significantly “less difficult” and an overall more “positive experience” then both of the word-tracer types.