Rizal Technological University

College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Psychology

Experimental Psychology Laboratory Report in

“THE EFFECTS OF READING COMPREHENSION ON THE RESPONSE TIME OF
THE READERS”

Submitted By:
Buton, Jamira Jelean
Lacson, Mary Joy P.
Mendoza, Mary Clarence G.
Peralta, Elisha P.
Sabang, Ceryl S.
Santos, Anne M.

Submitted To:
Professor Remedios Basco

October 2022
 I. INTRODUCTION

Reading Comprehension is the ability of an individual to read text, process the text that
they have read and understand the meaning behind it. It’s the process of making and getting
meaning from published words and symbols. It’s a complex process that involves sensation,
perception, appreciation, operation and integration. Reading, generally, is a means of
communication and of information and ideas. According to Aracelo, eighty five percent (85%) of
the effects we do involves reading (Aracelo, 1994).

The most crucial academic foundational skill is reading comprehension, and it has
incalculable advantages. Improved reasoning abilities, better, more insightful writing, quicker
reading, and higher achievement in various disciplines are some advantages of reading
comprehension that have been well-documented. Children cannot understand the meaning of what
they read without comprehension. Children’s comprehension of the text is improved by the
application of comprehension techniques, which also encourages them to interact with the text and
become active readers.

Pace and comprehension must be balanced for effective speed reading. According to
studies, reading quickly causes you to retain less information, especially when it comes to recalling
specifics. Reading comprehension has a direct relationship between literacy and academic
achievement. It is said to be the foundation of academic success and life learning. This study aims
to examine the effects of reading comprehension on the response time of the readers.

II. METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses the methodology of this study, and further explains the research
objectives, materials, measures, instruments, design, procedure, and subjects.

Objectives

Throughout this research, the researchers aim to answer the following:

 1. Is there any relationship between the reading comprehension of the readers to their
response time?
2. Does having good reading comprehension would results to fast response time of the
readers?
3. Determine the factors that influence the reader's comprehension.

Apparatus, Materials, Measures, and Instruments

This research requires any electronic devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops,
computers, and desktops which the subjects used for the test. The researchers send a website link
from Psytoolkit.org to the subjects where they can access the research instrument. The website
contains a self-paced reading task to measure the reaction time of the readers based on their reading
comprehension. The results will appear right after, including the number of words per sentence,
the sentence used, the total reaction time for all words together, and the reaction times for each
word of the readers. The instrument contains a reading test wherein a word appears on the screen,
and the reader must read it, whether silent or loud reading. Then after the readers read the word,
they must click the screen to proceed to the other set of a word. They must repeat the process until
they finish the test.

Design and Procedure

In this study, the researchers will employ the quantitative method, aiming to understand
the effects of reading comprehension on the response time of the readers. Four (4) students from
the College of Arts and Science at Rizal Technological University participated in a test about self-
paced reading.

To execute the test, four (4) students from PCAS-06-202P needs to access a link from the
website called Psytoolkit.org that leads to the test called “Self-paced Reading Task”. Instructions
are indicated from the website and the students will run the demo to start the test. There will be a
total of five (5) different sentences, and the subjects must read each sentence until the end. Results
for the reaction time will be in measured in milliseconds. The subjects will need to collect their
test results after completing it so that it can be calculated for the study.

Subjects

The subjects for this study came from the Second-Year students of Rizal Technological
University for S.Y. 2022-2023. These subjects are from the College of Arts and Sciences
department. In selecting the subjects, those who wish to participate will take the test. There is a
total of four (4) PCAS-06-202P students who will take the exam.

References

Self-paced reading task. (n.d.). Retrieved October 2, 2022, from

https://www.psytoolkit.org/experiment-library/pacedreading1.html

Tomas, M. , Villaros, E. and Galman, S. (2021) The Perceived Challenges in Reading of

Learners: Basis for School Reading Programs. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 9, 107-

122. doi: 10.4236/jss.2021.95009.