Unconventional vertical word-order impairs reading

Abstract

Western written languages unfold across both the horizontal (from left to right) and the vertical (from top to bottom) dimensions. Culturally determined horizontal reading/writing habits are so pervasive that their influence can be found not only in visual scanning but also in performance across different domains and tasks. However, little is known on the effects of vertical word order. In the present study, a lexical decision task is used to show that reading performance is less efficient when verbal material is vertically arranged following a bottom-to-top order.