Speed reading
- Metric
- Jumping backack
- bigger fixations
- increase speed
- speed limits
- use a guide
Scanning, skimming, skipping, set goals, ...
Variable speed
Metric
WPM = words per minute
200 WPM - avg reader
400 WPM - avg graduate / researcher
300 pages ~= 100 000 words
How to estimate your speed?
# words in a book = (words over 5 lines / 5) * (lines on a page) * (pages)
(online tests)
Do not jump back
Saccade is a quick, simultaneous movement of both eyes between two or more phases of fixation in the same direction.
Sensory memory
is the shortest-term element of memory. It is the ability to retain impressions of sensory information after the original stimuli have ended.
Bigger fixations
fixation width: # words at once
fixation height: # lines at once
Increase speed
brain works at 1400 WPM
200 WPM - avg reader
-> 1200 WPM
400 WPM - avg graduate / researcher
-> 1000 WPM
DISTRACTION
Breaking speed limits
3850 WPM - 300 pages in 30 minutes
with 100% content remembered
concentrating increases brain's max WPM
Too difficult?
double speed
- you need half the time, forever
triple speed
- ...
Use a guide
Eye tracking
- finger
- pen
+ no jumping back
+ control over reading speed
+ focus
Eye patterns
Double line sweep
variable sweep
reverse sweep
ADVANCED
S
Zig-zag
Loop
vertical wave
double guide
lazy s
reverse direction does not matter when fixation size is large enough
Remarks
language matters: native language?
complexity matters: long sentences, difficult constructions?
familiarity matters: unknown words?
practice at a higher speed
todo: subvocalisation is a bottleneck?