Speed Reading

[stateofmind]

Recently I've been doing a lot of research into speed reading. What I've gleaned from it suggests that the most gains to be had in speed without compromising comprehension are through the elimination of what is called "sub-vocalization". Sub-vocalization is where you internally pronounce all the words you read.

Now I've been noticing that I sub-vocalizing all my words. Well I tried to consciously stop. This leads to an interesting thing.

Let's look at the sentence "She overlooked the table". The general meaning of this sentence is that there is a woman (she) that missed seeing (overlooked) a table. The word "she" is a symbol for some type of meaning that the sentence is trying to convey. But when I think about what "she" means to me I realize that I have to kind of build a picture in my mind and I end up with a figure with longer hair that is silhouetted so as not to distinguish any features. The word "overlooked" presents even more trouble. How do I come up with a picture for "overlooked"? When I think about what "table" means to me I naturally think of my dining room table.

Okay so I'm at kind of a crossroads now. To eliminate sub-vocalization must I clear up these ambiguous meanings I have in my mind for all the words I know and create as clear pictures as possible? - consciously embellishing and adjusting them as I see fit? This seems to be the most logical solution. Presumably for all the words I commonly use, the pictures I have in my mind must be more or less formed - though they are mostly unconscious to me.

Do you think one must labor to make conscious these picture-meanings of all of one's vocabulary to reach a stage in reading where one would see whole words as symbols representing specific pictures formed by the reader (versus symbols that represent sounds that represent pictures)?

Do you think this is the true way to eliminate sub-vocalization or are meanings conveyed to the brain through a medium other than pictures?

 

[stateofmind]

I've just realized the problem with creating mental pictures/impressions. English is a highly contextual language and so the same words used in a different way take on a different meaning... so how would one know when to apply which meaning to which words until after the sentence is read?

I'm starting to wonder whether it's possible to read with good comprehension without sub-vocalization. Words combine to make unique symbols of meaning of extreme complexity. I suppose one could recognize common groups of words and treat those as one big symbol but even that would be precarious if one is reading something unfamiliar to them.

 

[stateofmind]

Those people that claim over 1000 wpm - must they be reading light material to be able to have any semblance of comprehension?

 

[Omega133]

I've just realized the problem with creating mental pictures/impressions. English is a highly contextual language and so the same words used in a different way take on a different meaning... so how would one know when to apply which meaning to which words until after the sentence is read?

One wouldn't. In my opinion anyway. If I said thrash, you could take it as to beat, or a type of music. You wouldn't know which one to apply until I finish the sentene and say thrash is great music. So in a way you have to hear the sentence fully, to comprehend fully.

 

[stateofmind]

Hey would a mod change the title to "Speed Reading"? I want to make it more general. Thanks.

 

[Dywyddyr]

Do you think one must labor to make conscious these picture-meanings of all of one's vocabulary to reach a stage in reading where one would see whole words as symbols representing specific pictures formed by the reader (versus symbols that represent sounds that represent pictures)?

Pictures?

Do you think this is the true way to eliminate sub-vocalization or are meanings conveyed to the brain through a medium other than pictures?

I'd say through something other than pictures: as far as I'm aware when I read I simply "absorb" the words - I don't get a picture (except of the whole thing, that is - not individual words as words).

Those people that claim over 1000 wpm - must they be reading light material to be able to have any semblance of comprehension?

No.

Hey would a mod change the title to "Speed Reading"? I want to make it more general. Thanks.

Done.

 

[stateofmind]

No.

So you think it's possible to read over 1000 wpm on foreign material of a more technical nature with at least 80% comprehension? What do you base this opinion on?

 

[Dywyddyr]

So you think it's possible to read over 1000 wpm on foreign material of a more technical nature with at least 80% comprehension? What do you base this opinion on?

Foreign material?
The fact that I read 1,000 page manuals in three days or less. And then apply what I've read.
I also read 1,200 page science fiction novels in the same time.
And all three volumes of The Lord of the Rings in less than 18 hours.
If some one is reading 1,000 wpm then it shouldn't matter what they're reading (providing it's not a completely new discipline with a plethora of unfamiliar words and concepts - or is that what you meant by "foreign"?).

 

[stateofmind]

Foreign material?
The fact that I read 1,000 page manuals in three days or less. And then apply what I've read.
I also read 1,200 page science fiction novels in the same time.
And all three volumes of The Lord of the Rings in less than 18 hours.
If some one is reading 1,000 wpm then it shouldn't matter what they're reading (providing it's not a completely new discipline with a plethora of unfamiliar words and concepts - or is that what you meant by "foreign"?).

At 1000wpm that would mean you read an average sized book at 3 pages a minute. So a 300 page book would take you a little under 2 hours to finish. Is this correct?

 

[Dywyddyr]

At 1000wpm that would mean you read an average sized book at 3 pages a minute. So a 300 page book would take you a little under 2 hours to finish. Is this correct?

Sounds about right: my "record" is 5 3-400 page paperbacks in 4 hours.
I once kept a list after being asked and in a thirty-day period I read 82 magazines and twenty-five books (and full-time work as well - not holiday reading).

 

[stateofmind]

Sounds about right: my "record" is 5 3-400 page paperbacks in 4 hours.
I once kept a list after being asked and in a thirty-day period I read 82 magazines and twenty-five books (and full-time work as well - not holiday reading).

Well you must understand my skepticism about your claims... there's no way for anyone here to prove what you do. Personally I don't see how you could actually learn and integrate new material at 1000 wpm. How could you be anything less than a genius if your claim is true? My guess is that you are reading at 1000 wpm but aren't retaining much of any of it. If you could read at 1000 wpm (with full retention and comprehension) then you could have finished highschool in less than one year easily.

Assuming what you say is true, which I'm not convinced it is, what is it you think you do differently than most readers?

 

[stateofmind]

Pictures?

What medium of meaning are the sounds of spoken language transformed into in our brain when we receive the message?

 

[Dywyddyr]

Personally I don't see how you could actually learn and integrate new material at 1000 wpm. How could you be anything less than a genius if your claim is true?

I was taught to read before I started school - age 4. I read a lot, it comes naturally to me, which may explain at least some of it: i.e. the more I do the easier it gets.
And yes, IQ 162.
Although I haven't come across anything linking IQ and speed of reading...

My guess is that you are reading at 1000 wpm but aren't retaining much of any of it. If you could read at 1000 wpm (with full retention and comprehension) then you could have finished highschool in less than one year easily.

Over 80% comprehension according to the last test I did a uni.

Assuming what you say is true, which I'm not convinced it is, what is it you think you do differently than most readers?

As I said above: practice practice practice. Reading is far from a chore or an unfamiliar task for me.
I own around 6,000 books (and that isn't counting the PDFs I have of out-of-print/ hard to get hold of copies - maybe 1,000+ of those).

What medium of meaning are the sounds of spoken language transformed into in our brain when we receive the message?

That's what I meant when used the word "absorb" - I grasp the sentence, not the individual words.

 

[stateofmind]

Do you think peripheral vision comes into play with it then? For you must be able to see the entire sentence before you'd be able to grasp it - so an expansion from "tunnel vision" would be necessary, right?

 

[Nesm]

Dywyddyr, are you sub-vocalizing whilst reading?

There's a decent intro to the idea of sub-vocalization & speed reading, and some practices for speed reading (download the free pdf on the 'store' page): http://www.krismadden.com/

 

[Syzygys]

If some one is reading 1,000 wpm then it shouldn't matter what they're reading

With 162 IQ you should KNOW that it DOES matter what the reading material is.

There is a huge difference between a romance novel and a user manual...


*** MOD NOTE ***
Sorry Syzgys, I hit the "edit" button instead of the "quote" one.
I think I've put your post back the way it was...

 

[Dywyddyr]

With 162 IQ you should KNOW that it DOES matter what the reading material is.

Yeah?

The fact that I read 1,000 page manuals in three days or less. And then apply what I've read.
I also read 1,200 page science fiction novels in the same time.
And all three volumes of The Lord of the Rings in less than 18 hours.

Tell me again...
And I did state: "providing it's not a completely new discipline with a plethora of unfamiliar words and concepts"

There is a huge difference between a romance novel and a user manual...

Yep, the plot is easier to figure out in a user manual.

 

[Dywyddyr]

Dywyddyr, are you sub-vocalizing whilst reading?

I think the only time I do that is when I read Russian.

There's a decent intro to the idea of sub-vocalization & speed reading, and some practices for speed reading (download the free pdf on the 'store' page)

Heh, a few years ago I was in a book store and picked up one on speed-reading while my wife was in the queue to pay for a book she wanted. When she came back she asked if I was going to buy it. I replied "No, it's not worth buying". She got halfway through asking how I knew it wasn't worth buying and then just said "Oh!"

 

[Dywyddyr]

Do you think peripheral vision comes into play with it then? For you must be able to see the entire sentence before you'd be able to grasp it - so an expansion from "tunnel vision" would be necessary, right?

I don't think it's peripheral vision as such, but I do tend to see three words or so at a time, whereas some (very) slow readers I know seem to look at one letter at a time and have to construct the word in their head before they can understand it.
Again, I'd say it was familiarity: accomplished readers recognise words by their shape as much as anything - which probably explains my problems with Russian: all the letters are more or less the same size.

 

[Syzygys]

Well, here is the question for speedreaders:

If you just read for PLEASURE to kill time, does speedreading give you the same pleasure and enjoyment? I mean if you like what you are doing one would like to stretch out the time doing it and not hurrying it to be done.
Like if I am eating icecream, I cherish the flavour, play with it in my mouth etc. instead of just swallowing the whole thing at once.

So can you slow down if you want to???

P.S.: Or like sex, if one needs another example when you might don't want to hurry too much...