Jukka Hyönä
PhD
Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology hyona@utu.fi Office: 224 ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5950-3361 |
Areas of expertise
cognitive psychology, psychology of language, visual attention
cognitive psychology, psychology of language, visual attention
Biography
I received my PhD degree in psychology in 1993 from the University of Turku (Finland), where I now serve as a professor of psychology and the Head of the Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology.
Research
My main research focus is on the use of the eye-tracking method to study various visually based cognitive tasks, including, reading and text comprehension, multiple object tracking, attentional capture and recognition of peripherally presented stimuli. The emphasis is on capturing how processing of visual stimuli evolves over time. To date, my most significant scientific contributions have been made to the study of how the eyes (and visual attention) are guided through a written text. In that domain, my studies tap into different levels of written language comprehension – from word recognition via sentence parsing to comprehension of long expository texts. I have also applied the method to study attentional processes and eye guidance during reading. My research has been published in journals such as Journal of Memory and Language, Psychological Science, Cognition, and Cognitive Psychology. I have published more than 120 articles in peer-reviewed journals.
My main research focus is on the use of the eye-tracking method to study various visually based cognitive tasks, including, reading and text comprehension, multiple object tracking, attentional capture and recognition of peripherally presented stimuli. The emphasis is on capturing how processing of visual stimuli evolves over time. To date, my most significant scientific contributions have been made to the study of how the eyes (and visual attention) are guided through a written text. In that domain, my studies tap into different levels of written language comprehension – from word recognition via sentence parsing to comprehension of long expository texts. I have also applied the method to study attentional processes and eye guidance during reading. My research has been published in journals such as Journal of Memory and Language, Psychological Science, Cognition, and Cognitive Psychology. I have published more than 120 articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Teaching
I teach courses on cognitive psychology and psychology of language. I also supervise BA, MA and PhD theses.
Publications
- How does vertical reading affect saccade programming and lexical processing in the Roman script? (2025)
- Psychological ResearchInfant Behavior and Development
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - (2024)
- IEEE International Conference on Cognitive InfocommunicationsJournal of Memory and Language
(A4 Refereed article in a conference publication ) - Gaze Behavior and Cognitive Performance on Tasks of Multiple Object Tracking and Multiple Identity Tracking by Handball Players and Non-Athletes (2024)
- Perceptual and Motor SkillsCognition
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Lower maternal emotional availability is related to increased attention toward fearful faces during infancy (2024)
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Naturalistic reading of multi-page texts elicits spatially extended modulation of oscillatory activity in the right hemisphere (2024)
- Scientific Reports
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Relating foveal and parafoveal processing efficiency with word-level parameters in text reading (2024)
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Universality in eye movements and reading: A replication with increased power (2024)
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Attention Biases for Emotional Facial Expressions During a Free Viewing Task Increase Between 2.5 and 5 Years of Age (2023)
- Developmental Psychology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Beta- and gamma-band cortico-cortical interactions support naturalistic reading of continuous text (2023)
- European Journal of Neuroscience
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Effect of peri-hand space among users of a familiar tool: more attention enhancement in space near palm than dorsal side of hand (2023)
- Current Psychology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)



