About 'speed reading'...

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Debbie_Hepplewhite
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Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 4:42 pm

About 'speed reading'...

Post by Debbie_Hepplewhite »

Kerry Hempenstall provided the information below via the DDOLL network which I think is well worth mentioning.

Kerry wrote:
Further to discussion about evidence-based practice, speed reading surfaces from time to time with extravagant claims about what slowcoaches most of us are with our piddling 200-400 words per minute, when we should be reading thousands per minute like the experts. From the original Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics to the modern app Spritz we are encouraged even to train up for the World Championship Speed Reading Competition.

A new paper from Keith Rayner and colleagues takes a long, slow, close look at speed reading, and concludes:

“Many people wish to read faster by finding a special form of reading in which they go more quickly with excellent comprehension, ideally without much effort or training. In this article, we have seen that there is no such magic bullet. There is a trade-off between speed and accuracy in reading, as there is in all forms of behavior. Increasing the speed with which you encounter words, therefore, has consequences for how well you understand and remember the text. In some scenarios, it is tolerable and even advisable to accept a decrease in comprehension in exchange for an increase in speed. This may occur, for example if you already know a lot about the material and you are skimming through it to seek a specific piece of information. In many other situations, however, it will be necessary slow down to a normal pace in order to achieve good comprehension. Moreover, you may need to reread parts of the text to ensure a proper understanding of what was written. Bear in mind, however, that a normal pace for most readers is 200 to 400 words per minute. This is faster than we normally gain information through listening, and pretty good for most purposes” (p.66).

Rayner, K., Schotter, E. R., Masson, M. E. J., Potter, M. C., & Treiman, R. (in press). So much to read, so little time: How do we read, and can speed reading help? Psychological Science in the Public Interest.
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