Speed reading is a collection of methods of reading which attempt to attain higher rates of reading without unacceptable reduction of comprehension or retention. Such methods include using various psychological techniques such as chunking and eliminating subvocalization.
Scholarly research
Some reading research has indicated that instructing a group or class of readers to speed up their reading rate will increase reading comprehension to a limited degree. In fact, inexperienced readers will often choose a rate slower than is appropriate for the material being read. However, this is only true to up to a point. When reading rate is increased to beyond the reading for comprehension rate (over approximately 400 word/min), comprehension will drop to an unacceptable level (below 50% comprehension) as measured on standardized reading tests (Cunningham et al 1990).
Empirical research on reading rate indicates that reading for comprehension is best achieved at 200-350 words per minute. This has been found to be constant for all competent readers (Homa 1983). Research conducted on rapid reading courses indicates that they are actually teaching a limited kind of skimming (Carver 1992). Skimming can be learned easily without the need for an expensive course, and involves reading at a rapid rate for the purpose of searching rather than comprehension (Carver 1992). As a habitual reading rate, it is inappropriate for sufficiently comprehending newspaper articles, textbooks, and novels (Allyn & Bacon, 1987).
Research on subvocalization, or auding, shows that it is a natural process which helps comprehension, and can be encouraged, especially for the purpose of reading high quality prose (Carver, 1990). Subvocalizing will only decrease reading rate if it is accompanied by obviously visible movements of the mouth, jaw or throat.
Research conducted on speed reading experts who claim to be able to read at over 1,000 words per minute with full comprehension has found that their claims are false (Homa 1983). Even speed reading rates of between 1000-2000 word/min have been found to result in comprehension levels at around 50% or lower. Also, when presented with two paragraphs of combined but unrelated material, speed reading experts claimed that they understood it but were completely unaware that it consisted of two obviously different passages mixed together (Allyn & Bacon, 1987).
One interesting outcome from research into speed reading is that speed readers tend to poorly assess their own comprehension level when compared to normal readers who are simply instructed to skim a text (Allyn & Bacon, 1987). The skimming group was found to be better at extracting the details out of a text than speed readers. This may be explained with reference to speed reading practices training out the ability to judge comprehension (Allyn & Bacon, 1987) and leading the reader to adopt misconceptions about reading (Harris and Sipay 1990).
Professional reading rate researchers' general advice about speed reading courses is simply not to enroll (Carver 1992) (Perfetti 1995). Skimming can be learned easily without the need for expensive courses, and comprehensive study techniques can be learned for free or for a small fee at community colleges (Carver 1992). Indeed, great results can be obtained using reading rates appropriate to the material, a wide repertoire of learning strategies, and an accurate judgment of reading comprehension (Harris and Sipay 1990).
Commercial speed reading programs
Businesses selling courses and manuals on speed reading claim that it is possible to increase the rate of reading to beyond 1000 words per minute with full comprehension, provided the course is followed and that the exercises are constantly practiced. However, a good deal of these courses and manuals are conflicting as to why and how speed reading should be adopted as a method.
One point of contention between the various speed reading courses is the assertions concerning subvocalization. Some courses claim that the main obstacle to speed reading is any form of subvocalization.Other courses claim that subvocalization can be used on keywords in order to speed up learning and reading. And some proponents of speed reading claim that subvocalization can be broken down into two levels, only one of which will reduce reading speed.
Speed reading courses and books take a variety of approaches to the concept of reading comprehension. Some courses and books claim that good comprehension is essential to speed reading, and that comprehension will improve with speed reading. Special non-standardized reading comprehension questionnaires are provided in order to convince the reader of the effects of the program. Some courses advise that while comprehension is important, it should not be measured or promoted above the speed of reading. Other courses and books argue that 90% of reading material is irrelevant and so comprehension should simply be ignored.
Speed reading courses variously claim that not all information in text needs to be covered while speed reading. Some claim that speed reading involves skipping text (exactly as has been measured during studies on skimming), whereas other speed reading promoters claim that all of the text is processed, but with some or most becoming subconsciously processed. Similarly, some courses claim that text should be serially processed whereas others say that information is processed in a more haphazard or ad hoc fashion. Terminology such as vision span and subvocalization are often used as explanations, but findings of research into these terms is not presented.
Claims of real life speed readers
According to some speed reading advocates, the World Championship Speed Reading Competition stresses reading comprehension as critical, and that the top contestants typically read around 1000 to 2000 words per minute with approximately 50% comprehension. The 10,000 word/min claimants have yet to reach this level.
Much controversy is raised over this point. This is mainly because a reading comprehension level of 50% is deemed a failure by normal reading teachers, the public at large, and reading experts (Carver 1992). Speed reading advocates claim that it is a great success and even state that it is a demonstration of good comprehension (Buzan 2000).
John Stuart Mill once claimed that he could read faster than he could turn pages.[citation needed] He may have been referring to simple skimming or scanning, although he is often used by speed reading proponents as an example of a natural speed reader, and to imply that they can teach a pupil to have the same abilities as Mill.
Jacques Bergier was a natural speed reader and he could read up to ten books per day.
Howard Stephen Berg claims to be the fastest reader in the world reading at a rate of 25,000 words per minute. The figure was deduced from him reading War and Peace in 15 minutes meaning he would read at a rate of 90 pages per minute. The claim however, is not supported by unassociated official institutes. It is also deductable that if this were true then the amount of eye movement required would be unattainable meaning Berg must adopt Photo reading strategies which involve increasing the peripheral vision and engaging in a trance like state.
U.S. President John F. Kennedy was a proponent of speed reading and encouraged his staff to take lessons.
President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, both avid readers, enrolled in a speed-reading course (which their daughter Amy Carter attended briefly) at the White House, along with several staff members.
A critical-skeptical discussion about the speed reading stories appeared in Slate. Among others, the article raises doubts about the origin of John F. Kennedy's allegedly amazing reading speed. Ronald Carver, a professor of education research and psychology, claims that the fastest college graduate readers can only read at most twice as fast as the slowest counterparts, namely about 600 words per minute.
In defense of speed reading, and its related concept of speed learning, it should be understood that there are many different kinds of reading done for different purposes, for some of which very high speeds are attainable and desirable, and the mistake is to apply one method when a different method is better, for a particular kind of material or purpose. This also applies to methods of evaluating things like comprehension or retention, as there are many different kinds as well as degrees of comprehension or retention, for different purposes, and it is a mistake to apply one method of evaluation to kinds of reading for which that method is the wrong choice.
Software
Speed reading computer application programs are available. Vortex Speed Reading was the first; however, Vallier, the creator of the program, did not update it and it would not work in Windows XP. Other programs are available on the Internet, many of which employ the same techniques and methods as in Vallier's software.
Many speed reading programs use a different approach to the usual 'speed reading' tips where a few words are grouped together to be read. One method is presenting words to the reader one at a time in the same position, stopping the eyes from having to move around as they would on a normal paragraph.
These programs present the data as a serial stream as the only way the brain handles text is breaking it up into a serial stream before parsing and interpreting it. Speed reading programs pre-processes and serializes text, so the brain does not need to do so.
Usually, commas and semi-colons have a single break and periods, question marks, exclamation marks, and speech marks have a double break.
Some speed reading programs include watching the center of the screen while watching the lines around it expand, watching several objects (instead of text) move by in a line and watching an object bounce around, up and down, left and right and require the user to focus their eyes on the object while it moves. The method of using objects are criticized by some who state that the only way to read faster is to read actual text.
The newest speed reading software is attempting to guide the user through the lines of an on-screen book at certain speeds. It does so text by creating a clear focus point and moving it through the lines. This software is packaged with a "speed reading manual" that explains the principles and methods at work in the program, as well as instructions and tips on eliminating subvocalization.
It is crucial for any user hoping to buy these programs to be extremely skeptical even given positive reviews. Some claims to be wary of are the complete elimination of subvocalizations and the ability to attain reading rates well beyond 1000 word/min.
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