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Please send all feedback to: doc@psychiatrix.com Los Angeles area residents call 818-991-8376 for appt. "Silent" Reading
Silently read this sentence:
"I am curious about what psychiatrix.com has to say about reading."
Did you hear the words in your head?
Some people hear an "inner narrative" when they read silently; other people say they don't. Some people process and comprehend text by just visually scanning it. However, if you ask an "inner narrative" person to visually scan a sentence without "hearing it," he will usually say that the sentence doesn't "register," or something like that. I believe these two groups, the "inner narrative" and the "pure visual scanners," are processing text (reading) in very different ways. The "inner narrative" brain is performing the extra, and perhaps(?) rate-limiting step, of inner "vocalization." In a sense, these people can only read as fast as their brains can "speak" the words. The "pure visual scanners" do not have this limitation.
Can you train yourself to be a "pure visual scanner" if you start life as an "inner narrative" person? Probably to some extent. In fact, this is probably what happens when you learn to "speed read." When you use your finger to scan down the page, there is no time for the "inner narration" to occur, yet you learn to comprehend most of what you see. (Area for Future Research: It would be very informative to do functional MRI scans on the "inner narrative" readers and the "pure visual scanners" while they read silently. The functional MRI shows blood flow to different areas of the brain and gives information on what parts of the brain are being enlisted in various activities.)
Final Thoughts There is probably some "reward" value in hearing the words as you read. The text is "savored." Or perhaps the "inner narrative" is a type of reading modeled on the (comforting) childhood experience of "being read to." Perhaps this style of reading can be retained for situations in which speed is not important. What about "thought," itself. Can a person have a thought without having an "inner narrative." Does thought exist apart from words? Are mental images the equivalent of thought? Please share your thoughts. Please send all feedback to: doc@psychiatrix.com Los Angeles area residents call 818-991-8376 for appt. |
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