Does the selective bolding of characters within words improve reading performance in skilled adult readers? Evidence from eye movements

Parker, A. J., Wang, H., Lee, H. and Joseph, H. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4325-4628 (2026) Does the selective bolding of characters within words improve reading performance in skilled adult readers? Evidence from eye movements. Royal Society Open Science. ISSN 2054-5703 (In Press)

Abstract/Summary

Reading is core to functioning in our daily lives. Therefore, it is not surprising that numerous tools have been developed to help maximise reading efficiency in both skilled and less skilled readers. In this registered report, we examined the potential of selective bolding of characters within words to improve reading performance in a sample of 90 skilled readers. Building on two pilot studies, we compared reading comprehension, word skipping, landing positions, target word reading times, and sentence readings under two bolding conditions (start bolded, middle bolded) with an unbolded condition, where sentences contained a four- or eight-letter target word. Based on pilot results, we expected to observe effects of bolding on landing positions within words, but not on comprehension or reading time measures. Results indicated that selective bolding shifted initial landing positions closer to the start of words for longer words. However, this did not translate into performance gains, as we found no evidence for differences in word skipping, word reading times, or overall sentence reading speed and comprehension. Ultimately, these results indicate that the selective bolding of characters within words does not facilitate more efficient word identification or enhance overall reading performance in skilled adult readers.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/130289
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Interdisciplinary Research Centres (IDRCs) > Centre for Literacy and Multilingualism (CeLM) Arts, Humanities and Social Science > Institute of Education > Language and Literacy in Education
Publisher	The Royal Society
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