Fatigue and Reading of Text on Videotex

Abstract

Three experiments are reported in which the effects of fatigue are studied during the reading of texts presented by means of a videotex system or by means of print on paper. For both these presentations the viewers read texts for a period of 2 h. The reading task was interrupted six times for tests of speed and accuracy in scanning a matrix of letters for given target letters, speed and accuracy in an auditory-motor reaction time task, and a free recall test of the information presented immediately prior to each test session. The three experiments differed with respect to task demands. Experiment I was less demanding than Experiment 2, which in its turn was less demanding than Experiment 3. It was predicted that those viewers who read the texts presented on videotex would show more dramatic effects than the viewers who read texts under more regular print-on-paper conditions. It was also predicted that these effects would be more pronounced for more demanding tasks. The results, however, demonstrated only marginal effects of fatigue. The effects of fatigue were somewhat more pronounced in the videotex group.