Individual Differences in Working Memory Capacity Affect How Readers Skim Expository Text

ABSTRACT Skimming, or rapid scanning of text, manifests when readers are constrained by time or other pressuring factors. While normal reading behavior has previously been connected to differences in working memory capacity (WMC), an open question is whether this also holds true for non‐normal reading like text skimming? Two studies were conducted where participants skimmed a short science text. In the first experiment participants read a paragraph at a time on a computer, and in the second experiment participants read the entire text whilst being eyetracked. Results were identical across both experiments; WMC was positively related to both understanding the text and the likelihood that a reader equitably spread their reading efforts across the text. This suggests that differences in WMC predict how well readers manage reading efforts and engage in more sampling‐like reading, ultimately leading to better understanding of a skimmed text.