Number-of-Features Effects During Reading: Evidence From Eye Movements

Researchers have demonstrated that words with high numbers of features (NOF) are recognized more quickly than words with low NOF. One difficulty in testing theories of word recognition with paradigms that present words in isolation, however, is that these paradigms can produce task demands not present in naturalistic reading situations. Extending previous research on this topic, we embedded high and low NOF words in neutral sentences that participants read as their eye movements were monitored. We investigated how NOF and four other variables known to affect word recognition (frequency, age of acquisition, familiarity, and length) influenced word reading time. This is the first experiment to demonstrate NOF effects on eye fixations during reading.