Abstract

We report the results of two newspaper reading experiments. We examine how readersÕ eye movements are affected by graphical elements such as photos and information graphics. Control variables in these experiments include size and content of photos, and spatial structure of information graphics. We hypothesized that large photo size and animate photo content would be associated with a local increase in textual processing and earlier pictorial attention. We also hypothesized that the presence of information graphics would generate a local increase in reading time, and that a sequential structure would facilitate decoding. Our results show that photos have a strong effect on newspaper scanning, whereas these elements have no effect on reading interest. This finding indicates that reading and scanning are separate processes. We also found that information graphics lead to an increase in reading time, and that a sequential layout facilitated decoding. Consequently, photos and information graphics have different effects on newspaper reading patterns.