Abstract: Attention allocation in reading is an essential factor discriminating two major kinds of eye movement control models in reading. These two kinds of models had different assumptions on whether more than one word can be processed simultaneously. One kind of the models assumes that attention is sequentially allocated, thus only completion of previous word can initiate process of the next word. The other, however, assumes parallel processing where multiple words can be processed simultaneously. This article mainly discusses the differences regarding attention deployment between these two kinds of models and reviews corresponding evidences supporting them. It also reviews attention allocation theories and findings from related fields, hoping to introduce different perspectives to the attention allocation studies in reading.

Key words: reading, eye movement, attention allocation, sequential processing, parallel processing