ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the results of a series of experiments, examining how particular features of subtitled programmes affect reading behaviour. The terms 'reading' and 'reading behaviour' are used in it when referring to viewers' eye movements. The relationship between eye movements and 'reading' is perhaps best illustrated by analogy with other cognitive tasks involving visual stimuli. The chapter also highlights the potential effects of textual ambiguity and anaphora on comprehension. It explains shot changes occurring across subtitles shown to have an influence on deflections and re-reading. The most significant effect of word omissions related to the number of words processed per fixation. As well as revealing the effects of specific subtitle features, the experiments highlighted the degree to which reading behaviour is affected by visual film features, hinting at the value of further research in this area. Eye-movement research concentrates on the effects of subtitle features, but it is likely that the visual content of a film is equally important.
