Twelve subjects scanned displayed prose passages to detect randomly inserted letter substitution errors. In comparison with steady displays, this check-reading task was performed 10% more slowly but with equal accuracy when the displayed material blinked at a 3-Hz rate. Although the potential value of blink coding confirmed in previous research is not questioned, the reduction in readability of blinking displays demonstrated in the present study suggests that some precautions must be taken in the practical application of this display coding technique.
