ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Educational Psychology
Distractions in Digital Reading : A Meta-Analysis of Attentional Interference Effects
Provisionally accepted
- Department of Chinese Language and Literature,East China Normal University,China, Shanghai, China
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Digital reading has become a common learning activity; however, the empirical understanding of how attentional interference affects comprehension remains limited. This meta-analysis of 32 studies synthesizes evidence on the impact of distractions in digital reading environments, revealing that attentional interference significantly impairs comprehension. Moderation analysis further shows that factors such as research design, type of distraction, and educational level influence this effect, particularly in between-subject studies involving television (TV) or music distractions, where older readers experienced greater declines in comprehension. This study advances the understanding of the cognitive-neurological foundations of attention and cognitive load theory, emphasizing the limited capacity of attention in online environments and the need to balance cognitive load to improve reading comprehension. It encourages minimizing distractions such as background music and videos, designing interactive online platforms that promote focus and self-regulated learning, using tools such as eye-tracking to monitor attention, and implementing tailored interventions that help students develop effective self-regulation strategies for better comprehension.
Keywords: Attention interference, Online environment, reading comprehension, Moderatingeffect, Meta-analysis
Received: 22 Jul 2025; Accepted: 07 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Shen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yamin Shen, 52274800011@stu.ecnu.edu.cn
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