READING AS A PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESS

Reading involves both an organic or physiological process and a mental or cognitive

process. In the physiological process, the most basic step is for the eyes to see,
identify, and recognize the printed word or images.
The light patterns from the printed symbols hit the fovea areas or closely packed
sensory cells of the retina.
In turn, this induces chemical changes that create patterns of nerve currents into
the optic nerve fiber. Then these currents travel to a center in the mid-brain.
Finally, using the current that travel to the mid- brain, the cerebral cortex interprets
the symbols.
The stage of reading revolves around the ability to identify and recognize words
which are the smallest unit of visual identification and meaningful recognition.
Studies show eye movement in reading with the eye perceiving and pausing on the
printed material horizontally from left to right and top-to- bottom or right to left
Scientific experiments have also shown that there are several eye movements:
Fixation the eyes stopping or getting fixated on the word/s. Inter-fixation the
eyes moving from stopping point to the other. Return sweeps the eyes swinging
back from the end
Saccades short quick hop and jump movements done especially by literate
people, to move ahead on a line of point. Regression done in case there is need to
double check what is being read. Span of recognition the eyes recognition of a
group of words.
While reading any written form of content the lens in the eye focus an image on the
retina and conveyed by the optic nerve to the brain that registers the content to
analyze it as a cognitive concept. This involves all organs (physiological process) of
the reading process.

Reading is a physiological process as your brain needs to react to what is on the

page. It is the thinking and alertness of the brain that is used to process the words
that are on a page or screen when you read. Whilst you are alert and thinking, the
brain is working at full capacity, but even at rest it is performing physiological
functions to keep us alive and keep us breathing. Our body is constantly performing
physiological tasks, most of the time we are not aware of the reactions within our
body that our brain and nervous system are causing.
Reading also uses motor sensors to move your eyes across the page, this is all done
by your brain making your optic nerve move and work to read the words on the
page. These are all physiological reactions to what is going on, therefore making
reading a physiological process. Most of the things that our bodies do, in particular
the reactive things that our bodies do are predominantly physiological. This is where
our brain processes signals so that we can react to perform a function. All of these
communications are made through electrical impulses within our bodies. These
electrical impulses are transferred from the brain to different parts of the body
through our nervous system. These communications happen so quickly that we do
not notice the signals being sent and received.
These signals are then received by the motor nerves that make us move. In the
case of reading, the optic nerves in our eyes that do the reading. This is then sent
back to the brain through another series of signals through our nervous system so
that they can be processed and we can read.