Abstract

Recent studies suggest that response times (RTs) measured in web-based cognitive experiments are as valid and reliable as the RTs measured in offline experiments. The present study aimed to replicate the effects of word predictability in self-paced sentence reading, which had been found in offline experiment results, using an online experiment platform implemented with PsychoPy and Pavlovia. To do this, we compared the self-paced reading times for a predictable word in a sentential context with those for an unpredictable word. Results of our web-based self-paced reading task showed a significantly longer RT for words that are difficult to predict given the context compared to predictable words. This finding successfully replicates the word predictability effect in sentence processing, thus supporting the use of online platforms for cognitive/psychological experiments at the era of the untact.