Reading Strategies in Comic Books

An Eye-Tracking Study

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-4301.2025.1.48034

Keywords:

Multimodality, Reading Processing, Psycholinguistics, Eye-tracking.

Abstract

This study investigates reading strategies in comic books (HQs) using the eye-tracking technique. We analyzed how readers with different levels of familiarity in reading HQs process conventional (linear in "Z") and unconventional (irregular order) layouts. Prose texts and pages of the HQ “In the mind of Sherlock Holmes: the case of the scandalous note” (Lieron;

Dahan, 2023) were used as stimuli. The sample consisted of 21 participants, categorized according to the VLFI (Visual Language Fluency Index), proposed by Cohn (2014). The analyses focused on total fixation duration (TFD) and the accuracy of comprehension responses. The results indicated that readers more familiar with HQs presented shorter fixation times, especially in conventional HQs. Unconventional HQs demanded more reading time, reflecting greater navigation complexity. The results indicate that familiarity with the comic book genre and the type of layout directly influence reading and comprehension strategies, highlighting the importance of eye tracking as a tool for analyzing multimodal reading.

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Author Biographies

Marcella Campos e Souza, Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

She holds a degree in Portuguese Language and Literature from the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) and a master's degree in Linguistics from the Postgraduate Program in Linguistics at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), affiliated with the research line Language and Cognition. She is a member of the Center for Studies in Language Acquisition and Psycholinguistics (NEALP/UFJF), where she conducts research on reading multimodal texts using eye tracking.

Aline Alves Fonseca, Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Associate Professor at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, she holds a PhD (2012) in Linguistic Studies from the Federal University of Minas Gerais with a sandwich period at the University of Lisbon. She conducted postdoctoral research at Morehead State University (USA) and at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro between 2018 and 2019. She has experience in the field of Linguistics, with an emphasis on Psycholinguistics and Phonology, mainly working on the following topics: syntax/prosody interface, linguistic processing, reading of multimodal texts, prosodic phonology and intonational phonology.

Francisco Nanni Vieira, Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Holds a degree in Portuguese Language and Literature from the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF). Currently, he is a master's student in the Linguistics Graduate Program at the same institution, specializing in Psycholinguistics. He is a scholarship recipient from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and is interested in research on the processing of multimodal texts by humans and artificial intelligence systems.

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Published

2025-12-19

How to Cite

Campos e Souza, M., Alves Fonseca, A., & Nanni Vieira, F. (2025). Reading Strategies in Comic Books: An Eye-Tracking Study. Letrônica, 18(1), e48034. https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-4301.2025.1.48034

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 1 (2025): Single Volume - Continuous flow

Section

THE DEVELOPMENT OF (A)TYPICAL READING AND WRITING IN MONOLINGUISTIC AND BILINGUAL PEOPLE IN THE LIGHT OF PSYCHOLINGUISTICS

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Copyright (c) 2025 Marcella Campos e Souza, Aline Alves Fonseca, Francisco Nanni Vieira

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

 

 

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