Running head: EFFECT OF WORD PREDICTABILITY ON WORD SKIPPING

The present study examined the relationship between the predictability of words within a sentence, and the availability of parafoveal word length information, on when and where the eyes move in reading. Predictability influenced first pass reading times when parafoveal word length preview information was correct, but not when it was incorrect. Similarly, for saccades launched from close to the target word (word n), predictability influenced the probability with which it was skipped only when the word length preview was correct. By contrast, for saccades launched further away from word n, predictability influenced word skipping regardless of the parafoveal word length preview. Together the data suggest that parafoveal word length preview and predictability can act as a joint constraint on the decision of when and where to move the eyes