Speed Listening
Learning better through listening faster :
The new software programs, DVD players and phone services rising to this challenge all take advantage of the human ability to comprehend speech much more quickly than the typical spoken rate of 140 to 180 words a minute. How many times as fast? “I’ve heard of instances where people go to 4X, and they still want it to go faster,” said Blake Erickson of Telex Communications, which makes “talking book” audio players for the educational market.
[…]”People who are listening at accelerated speeds learn just as much, and there’s some evidence they may learn even a bit more,” said Kevin Harrigan, an associate professor at the Center for Learning and Teaching Through Technology of the University of Waterloo in Canada. The consensus is that the extra brainpower needed to follow speedy speech enhances comprehension. “If you’re listening at accelerated speeds,” said Joel Galbraith, a researcher in Penn State’s instructional systems program, “it forces you to not do anything else, so you’re more focused on it.”
I read faster than normal speech; I wonder if the two processes (fast listening, fast silent reading) are connected.
Posted by Anonymous on October 7 2003 04:48
You all talk so slooooowly..
I suspect it has a lot to do with concentration on the content and the ability to link it together. Topics you comprehend as they are being given to you can retain much better and learn more quickly.
Posted by Scanner on October 7 2003 16:29
I did think of Scanner immediately when I saw this. If listening at high speed improves your learning ability, then a conversation with Scanner should be good for a quick boost of an IQ point or two...
Posted by Jimcat on October 8 2003 06:30