Scientific And Psychological Speed Reading Support Studies

By Paul Reynolds


When it comes to quickly skimming material on a page, Evelyn Wood was the first to learn how to do so. In fact, while psychological and scientific evidence show little in the way of speed reading support, Ms. Wood was the first to coin the phrase speed reading after having developed a system which allowed the woman to do so.

Later, Evelyn designed a system which would help increase the speed of reading in many individuals from 250 to 300 words per minute to 2 to 5 times faster. While there may be doubt that this is possible, there were many attendees who completed and tested out of the program at these speeds. As such, there are many individuals whom still claim that the courses and seminars taught by Ms. Wood were successful in teaching students how to do so.

While not becoming popular until after Ms. Wood's death, the class was ultimately taught in over one hundred fifty seminars and classrooms. While first taught by Ms. Wood and husband, the husband went on to continue the seminars after Ms. Wood's passing. As such, the courses became more well known in the 1960s, then showed up as a required course in many business schools in the 1970s.

Even with this history, there are now a number of psychological and scientific reports stating that the process is most likely not possible and that promises of being able to do so are often too good to be true. In most cases, these courses are now sold as a method to learn how to tackle the numerous texts whether in email, reports or documentation most encounter every day.

Other scientific and psychological studies have shown that most often when used as a shortcut to learning, the practice is unsuccessful. For, while it can be easy to quickly skim a page paragraph by paragraph, it can often be harder to retain the information when doing so. As such, while these courses and software programs may have some benefits, reading speed is often less important than comprehending and understanding subject matter.

While speed reading has been around since those early seminars, there has been a recent surge in the number of providers offering these courses. While some may understand the concepts and tools behind the practice, there are also others whom are just out to scam individuals. For, many of these providers offer programs which can teach individuals how to speed read in a few days, with no knowledge or experience in the area.

In addition, while it is nice to think an individual can learn the process in a few days using a software package, doing so is unlikely. For, while one can skim a book, page by page, that does not necessarily mean one is getting the intended message of the publication. As such, it is important to recognize that while speed reading might work with emails and other pieces of short documentation, it is not always the best option when reading fiction, non-fiction or text books.

Most reports with regards to the issue suggest that there is no magic course, tool or wand that will allow an individual to read faster than natural talents allow. For, there are no shortcuts available when it comes to any aspect of comprehension and understanding. While this is the case, there are still a number of individuals who claim to be able to do so regardless of current reports and studies.




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