On the possible dangers of using horizontal word displays in visual field studies.

In a sample of 100 four-letter words, there was more information about the identity of the words in the first letter than in the last letter. However, information asymmetry did not correlate with visual field differences in a lexical decision study. It therefore may be possible to use horizontally displayed short words in visual field studies without being concerned about peripheral factors. Different factors affect the recognition of vertical and horizontal displays, and the use of vertical displays is not advised.