Mindless reading
For the first time, researchers have demonstrated the ill effects of mindless reading — a phenomenon in which people take in sentence after sentence without really paying attention.
Ever read the same paragraph three times? Or get to the end of a page and realize you don't know what you just read?
That's mindless reading. It is the literary equivalent of driving for miles without remembering how you got there — something so common many people don't even notice it.
(From a study of college students)
Psychologists seem to have a lot of first times, at least according to the news. I would like to see another first time for this one: How about: for the first time, psychologists have determined the conditions that lead to “mindless reading” and developed recommendations for changing these conditions.
Relevant considerations are span of attention and goal-guided reading. I have seen studies indicating that people listening to a lecture generally lose their focus on the speaker after about 10 minutes. Would you expect the span of attention for reading to be longer?
And goal-guided reading means knowing why you are reading. A student may have no other goal than to comply with the assignment to read the chapter. I’d call that a mindless interpretation of the assignment that probably deserves mindless reading.
Apparently this study demonstrated the ill effects (on learning) of mindless reading. Did we really need that demonstration or is this an example of mindless researching? Sometimes as I read about psychological research, I wonder if there is something to the idea of mindless writing.
Reminds of a cartoon I saw. A computer printer streaming out a flow of paper that was pouring directly into a shredder.
Ever read the same paragraph three times? Or get to the end of a page and realize you don't know what you just read?
That's mindless reading. It is the literary equivalent of driving for miles without remembering how you got there — something so common many people don't even notice it.
(From a study of college students)
Psychologists seem to have a lot of first times, at least according to the news. I would like to see another first time for this one: How about: for the first time, psychologists have determined the conditions that lead to “mindless reading” and developed recommendations for changing these conditions.
Relevant considerations are span of attention and goal-guided reading. I have seen studies indicating that people listening to a lecture generally lose their focus on the speaker after about 10 minutes. Would you expect the span of attention for reading to be longer?
And goal-guided reading means knowing why you are reading. A student may have no other goal than to comply with the assignment to read the chapter. I’d call that a mindless interpretation of the assignment that probably deserves mindless reading.
Apparently this study demonstrated the ill effects (on learning) of mindless reading. Did we really need that demonstration or is this an example of mindless researching? Sometimes as I read about psychological research, I wonder if there is something to the idea of mindless writing.
Reminds of a cartoon I saw. A computer printer streaming out a flow of paper that was pouring directly into a shredder.
posted by Selby Evans at 1:39 PM
2 Comments:
Mindless indeed "-)
Nice blog to reading thanks for sharing such useful information this is very helpful for students who learn online and want Assignment Online Help.And keep continue to sharing useful information for us.
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