Anticipatory prediction in older readers

Wong, R; Veldre, A

Anticipatory prediction in older readers

Wong, R Veldre, A

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Publisher:: Springer
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Memory and Cognition, 2025, 53, (7), pp. 2312-2331
Issue Date:: 2025-03-19

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Wong, R
dc.contributor.author	Veldre, A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0364-8502
dc.date.accessioned	2026-01-30T02:44:41Z
dc.date.available	2025-03-20
dc.date.available	2026-01-30T02:44:41Z
dc.date.issued	2025-03-19
dc.identifier.citation	Memory and Cognition, 2025, 53, (7), pp. 2312-2331
dc.identifier.issn	0090-502X
dc.identifier.issn	1532-5946
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/192631
dc.description.abstract	It is well-established that skilled, young-adult readers rely on predictive processing during online language comprehension; however, fewer studies have investigated whether this extends to healthy, older adults (60 + years). The aim of the present research was to assess whether older readers make use of lexical prediction by investigating whether they demonstrate processing costs for incorrect predictions in a controlled experimental design. The eye movements of a sample of older adults (60-86 years) were recorded as they read strongly and weakly constraining sentences containing a predictable word or an unpredictable alternative that was either semantically related or unrelated. To determine whether predictive processing depends on the stimuli presentation format, a second experiment presented the same materials in a self-paced reading task in which each word of a sentence appears one at a time at the readers' own pace. Older adults showed processing benefits for expected input on eye-movement measures of reading. They also showed processing costs for unexpected input across both methodologies, but only when semantically unrelated to the best completion. Taken together, the results suggest that the use of predictive processes remains relatively preserved with age. The implications of these findings for understanding whether prediction is a fundamental component of online language comprehension are discussed.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	Springer
dc.relation.ispartof	Memory and Cognition
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.3758/s13421-025-01712-1
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	1109 Neurosciences, 1701 Psychology, 1702 Cognitive Sciences
dc.subject.classification	Experimental Psychology
dc.subject.classification	5202 Biological psychology
dc.subject.classification	5204 Cognitive and computational psychology
dc.subject.classification	5205 Social and personality psychology
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Reading
dc.subject.mesh	Middle Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Aged, 80 and over
dc.subject.mesh	Anticipation, Psychological
dc.subject.mesh	Male
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Comprehension
dc.subject.mesh	Aging
dc.subject.mesh	Psycholinguistics
dc.subject.mesh	Eye Movements
dc.subject.mesh	Eye Movement Measurements
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Eye Movements
dc.subject.mesh	Comprehension
dc.subject.mesh	Psycholinguistics
dc.subject.mesh	Aging
dc.subject.mesh	Reading
dc.subject.mesh	Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Aged, 80 and over
dc.subject.mesh	Middle Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Male
dc.subject.mesh	Eye Movement Measurements
dc.subject.mesh	Anticipation, Psychological
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Reading
dc.subject.mesh	Middle Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Aged, 80 and over
dc.subject.mesh	Anticipation, Psychological
dc.subject.mesh	Male
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Comprehension
dc.subject.mesh	Aging
dc.subject.mesh	Psycholinguistics
dc.subject.mesh	Eye Movements
dc.subject.mesh	Eye Movement Measurements
dc.title	Anticipatory prediction in older readers
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	53
utslib.location.activity	United States
utslib.for	1109 Neurosciences
utslib.for	1701 Psychology
utslib.for	1702 Cognitive Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/Graduate School of Health
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/Graduate School of Health/Clinical Psychology
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	false
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2026-01-30T02:44:36Z
pubs.issue	7
pubs.publication-status	Accepted
pubs.volume	53
utslib.citation.issue	7

Abstract:

It is well-established that skilled, young-adult readers rely on predictive processing during online language comprehension; however, fewer studies have investigated whether this extends to healthy, older adults (60 + years). The aim of the present research was to assess whether older readers make use of lexical prediction by investigating whether they demonstrate processing costs for incorrect predictions in a controlled experimental design. The eye movements of a sample of older adults (60-86 years) were recorded as they read strongly and weakly constraining sentences containing a predictable word or an unpredictable alternative that was either semantically related or unrelated. To determine whether predictive processing depends on the stimuli presentation format, a second experiment presented the same materials in a self-paced reading task in which each word of a sentence appears one at a time at the readers' own pace. Older adults showed processing benefits for expected input on eye-movement measures of reading. They also showed processing costs for unexpected input across both methodologies, but only when semantically unrelated to the best completion. Taken together, the results suggest that the use of predictive processes remains relatively preserved with age. The implications of these findings for understanding whether prediction is a fundamental component of online language comprehension are discussed.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/192631