Influence of size of type on eye movements

Abstract

Previous studies have indicated that the best reading performance is achieved with 10-point type as compared with 6-point or with 14-point type. In this study, eye-movement records show that with 6-point type the number of fixations is increased, total perception time is greatly increased, and frequency of regressive movements is slightly increased. The cause for this change in ocular-motor patterns (as compared with 10-point type) seems to be due to reduced visibility. On the 14-point type, there is a striking increase in frequency of fixations, less time per fixation, and a slight decrease in number of regressions. The cause of this reduced efficiency on 14-point type seems to be due to the increased amount of printing area that must be covered in reading a given amount of text. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)