Big Question: Is Speed Reading Actually Possible? - Deepstash
Big Question: Is Speed Reading Actually Possible?

Big Question: Is Speed Reading Actually Possible?

Curated from: wired.com

Ideas, facts & insights covering these topics:

15 ideas

·

5.88K reads

6

Explore the World's Best Ideas

Join today and uncover 100+ curated journeys from 50+ topics. Unlock access to our mobile app with extensive features.

Research Backed Methods For Faster Reading

Research points to speed reading being a form of skimming, which is appropriate for short text but not for longer ones.


For long texts, reading more to increase vocabulary or read things you already know a lot about are the only scientifically backed methods to increase speed and comprehension.

118

643 reads

Measurements Of Speed Reading And Comprehension

Although there is an academic consensus that speed-reading decreases comprehension,

On the other hand, the same can’t be said for comprehension measurement techniques, as we can process text differently according to context.

87

525 reads

Woody Allen

"I took a course in speed-reading...and was able to read War and Peace in twenty minutes. It's about Russia."

WOODY ALLEN

83

539 reads

Elizabeth Schotter

"The software and apps don't know what you're doing, they don't know what your internal representation is, so they can't compensate for a failure in understanding because they don't have access to that knowledge,"

ELIZABETH SCHOTTER

82

434 reads

The Fundamental Flaw On Speed Reading Softwares

Softwares using the RSVP (Rapid Serial Visual Presentation) method eliminate time-wasting eye movements by presenting you one word at a time.

Again, the science says this tends to have a negative impact on comprehension as the rereading is important for understanding text.

83

383 reads

The Types of Eye Movements

  • Regressions: Quick, unconscious re-readings we do when we don't understand something.
  • Saccades: Jerky, 0.1-second eye movements we use to move our fovea (center of vision) from one word to another.
  • Fixations: Brief, 250-millisecond pauses, each word receives during reading.

100

389 reads

Elizabeth Schotter

"Is this word a food, yes or no?" "If you give them a word that's not a food, say 'MEET,' but the word sounds like an actual food word (M-E-A-T), then they're more likely to say yes even though it's the wrong answer."

ELIZABETH SCHOTTER

78

340 reads

The Impossibility Of Ignoring Your Inner Voice

Proponents of speed reading claim sub-vocalization is a detrimental habit that can be suppressed to increase ones reading speed.


On the other hand, research indicates even using techniques to stop sub-vocalization, the mere visual recognition of words accesses the sounds of those words anyway.

83

320 reads

Elizabeth Schotter

"Because we all learn to speak and listen before we learn to read, almost everyone tends to access the sounds of speech when they read."

ELIZABETH SCHOTTER

84

304 reads

Sub Vocalization

Is the inner speech readers hear in their heads as they read silently.

81

348 reads

The Complexity Of Reading

Unlike speech, reading and writing are "cognitively unnatural."

As a human instinct, speech doesn’t have to be taught to an infant. Writing does, because it is not a purely visual process, both reading and writing piggyback on language and speech

86

280 reads

Reading's Mental Dance

Reading involves the visual acquisition of the symbols by the eye and the cognitive processing that goes on in the background. It's an intricate dance between a number of visual and mental processes highly dependent on language.

83

283 reads

Elizabeth Schotter - cognitive psychologist

"… no human being can read 1,000 or 2,000 words per minute and maintain the same levels of comprehension they do at 200 or 400 words per minute."

ELIZABETH SCHOTTER - COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGIST

81

262 reads

The Average Reader

The Average Reader

Most educated people can read between 250 to 400 words per minute) with good comprehension. For comparison, a normal conversation produces 150 to 160 words per minute.

84

367 reads

Speed Reading Versus Evidence

Speed Reading Versus Evidence

There are different techniques that claim to increase ones reading speed but decades of medical and psychological research indicates that said speed gain comes at the cost of understanding.

86

463 reads

IDEAS CURATED BY

harzaa

I like movies and books. I eat the pizza crust. Coffee addict.

Harper A.'s ideas are part of this journey:

Managing Perfectionism

Learn more about problemsolving with this collection

How to manage anxiety and self-doubt

Strategies for setting realistic goals

The importance of self-compassion and self-care

Related collections

Read & Learn

20x Faster

without
deepstash

with
deepstash

with

deepstash

Personalized microlearning

100+ Learning Journeys

Access to 200,000+ ideas

Access to the mobile app

Unlimited idea saving

Unlimited history

Unlimited listening to ideas

Downloading & offline access

Supercharge your mind with one idea per day

Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.

Email

I agree to receive email updates