Frontiers in aging neuroscience
Is easy-to-read easy for everyone? An eye-tracking study across the adult lifespan
By Navas-León S and Duñabeitia JA.
Abstract
Introduction
Easy-to-Read (E2R) formatting is widely recommended to improve reading accessibility, yet whether its typographic and structural features benefit visual processing and comprehension across the adult lifespan remains unclear.
Methods
Using eye tracking, we examined whether E2R text formatting, relative to a standard control format, supports reading comprehension, reading time, and eye-movement behavior in 69 adults aged 18 to 83 years. Participants read short texts in both formats in a within-subject design while their eye movements were recorded, and reading comprehension was subsequently assessed. Data were analysed using mixed-effects models, with Text Format, Trial Order, Age, and theoretically relevant interactions entered as predictors across five dependent variables: comprehension accuracy, reading time, fixation count, average fixation duration, and average saccade amplitude.