Yellow highlight = interesting research point
Red italic = my comments/thoughts
The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens
REFERENCE: Jabr, 2013. The Reading Brain In The Digital Age: The Science Of Paper Versus Screens. [online] Scientific American. Available at: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reading-paper-screens/ [Accessed 3 August 2020].
LINK: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reading-paper-screens/
Jean-Louis Constanza, presents "A Magazine Is an iPad That Does Not Work" as a naturalistic observation—a Jane Goodall among the chimps moment—that reveals a generational transition. "Technology codes our minds," he writes in the video's description. "Magazines are now useless and impossible to understand, for digital natives"—that is, for people who have been interacting with digital technologies from a very early age.
- Really interesting point, bringing up how different generations may be starting to interact with print and screen differently, having different relationships and therefore finding things easier or not as easy depending on their age and exposure.
...to anyone who routinely switches between working long hours in front of a computer at the office and leisurely reading paper magazines and books at home - Interesting depiction of the way we use different reading mediums. Screens are used for work and business, whereas paper is more for leisure and downtime.
modern screens and e-readers fail to adequately recreate certain tactile experiences of reading on paper that many people miss and, more importantly, prevent people from navigating long texts in an intuitive and satisfying way. In turn, such navigational difficulties may subtly inhibit reading comprehension.
- Interesting point discussing the physical benefits of reading on learning, is this true for everyone or just those familiar with reading from print?
We treat individual letters as physical objects when reading, but also the human brain may also perceive a text in its entirety as a physical landscape. When we read, we construct a mental representation of the text in which meaning is anchored to structure.
- Super fascinating, how can the design of a publication encourage this process? Through hierarchy or images?
- What impact could this have on practical?
The exact nature of this remains unclear, but they are likely similar to the mental maps we create of terrain and man-made physical spaces. Both anecdotally and in published studies, people report that when trying to locate a particular piece of written information they often remember where in the text it appeared. And in most cases, paper books have more obvious topography than on screen text. Physical attributes like page thickness, and how you can see the whole text all at once make physical publications easier to navigate.
People expect books to look, feel and even smell a certain way; when they do not, reading sometimes becomes less enjoyable or even unpleasant. For others, the convenience of a slim portable e-reader outweighs any attachment they might have to the feel of paper books.
Overall:
- Screens and text present very different experiences for the reader, there are pros and cons to both but it seems reading a physical publication is most beneficial.
- In terms of practical it mentions paper stock, physical attributes such as these could be considered in the design process (particularly in contemporary publications).
Screen vs. paper: what is the difference for reading and learning?
Link: https://insights.uksg.org/articles/10.1629/uksg.236/
REFERENCE: Myrberg, C. and Wiberg, N., 2015. Screen vs. paper: what is the difference for reading and learning?. Insights the UKSG journal, 28(2), pp.49-54.
Kretzschmar et al. did a study in 2013 that compared reading effort on three different media: a paper page, an e-reader (e-ink) and a tablet computer. They studied eye movement, brain activity and reading speed. The interesting thing was that all participants said that they preferred reading on paper, even though the study found no support for it being more effortful to read on digital media. On the contrary, the older participants read both faster and with less effort on the tablet computer, due to the back lighting giving a better contrast, and because of this being better for older eyes.
It was easier for those who read on paper to remember what they had read (2013 study in norway). Mangen et al (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0883035512001127) say that this is because paper gives spatio-temporal markers while you read. Touching paper and turning pages aids the memory, making it easier to remember where you read something.
REFERENCE - Mangen, A., Walgermo, B. and Brønnick, K., 2013. Reading linear texts on paper versus computer screen: Effects on reading comprehension. International Journal of Educational Research, 58, pp.61-68.
- Supports Jabr (2013) in findings that physical experience of reading helps the audience remember what they've read. Think about this from a psychology perspective, why is this the case?
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Reading on Paper and Digitally: What the Past Decades of Empirical Research Reveal
REFERENCE: Alexander, and Singer, (2017) A New Study Shows That Students Learn Way More Effectively From Print Textbooks Than Screens. [online] Business Insider. Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com/students-learning-education-print-textbooks-screens-study-2017-10?r=US&IR=T#:~:text=A new study shows that,from print textbooks than screens&text=As researchers in learning and,reading print and digital media [Accessed 3 August 2020].
LINK: https://www.businessinsider.com/students-learning-education-print-textbooks-screens-study-2017-10?r=US&IR=T#:~:text=A new study shows that,from print textbooks than screens&text=As researchers in learning and,reading print and digital media.
- Students were able to better comprehend information in print for texts that were more than a page in length. This appears to be related to the disruptive effect that scrolling has on comprehension.
- Students overwhelming preferred to read digitally.
- Reading was significantly faster online than in print.
- Students judged their comprehension as better online than in print.
- Paradoxically, overall comprehension was better for print versus digital reading.
- The medium didn't matter for general questions (like understanding the main idea of the text).
- But when it came to specific questions, comprehension was significantly better when participants read printed texts.
- Is this because the students were younger and therefore more used to reading on screen (thinking back to Jabr 2013)?
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Reading Across Mediums: Effects of Reading Digital and Print Texts on Comprehension and Calibration
REFERENCE: Singer, and Alexander, 2016. Reading Across Mediums: Effects of Reading Digital and Print Texts on Comprehension and Calibration. The Journal of Experimental Education, 85(1), pp.155-172.
LINK: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00220973.2016.1143794?journalCode=vjxe20
After reading, students were asked to judge under which medium they comprehended best. Results demonstrated a clear preference for digital texts, and students typically predicted better comprehension when reading digitally. However, performance was not consistent with students' preferences and outcome predictions. (- Again students thinking they'll perform better on screen, what is it that causes people to think like this?) While there were no differences across mediums when students identified the main idea of the text, students recalled key points linked to the main idea and other relevant information better when engaged with print. - Could be due to spatiotemporal markers or mental map representation developed when reading physical books.
While some studies have found passages can be read more quickly in the digital medium (Kerr & Symons, 2006), other studies have found greater gains in reading comprehension when reading the passage in print form (Mangen et al., 2013).
A navigational issue to consider is the nature in which the mediums determine one’s access to the texts in their entirety. Research has suggested that readers often recall where in a text a certain piece of information appeared (e.g., toward the bottom of the page; Rothkopf, 1971; Zechmeister & McKillip, 1972). While the current study controlled for the navigation issue commonly associated with digital reading (i.e., scrolling), research suggests there are other factors associated with reading digitally that restrict users’ ability to mentally reconstruct what was read (Cataldo & Oakhill, 2000), and so, the interaction found between medium and text type on key-point comprehension warrants further examination. When reading book excerpts, students performed significantly better in print than they did digitally.
- Navigation is important to being able to fully comprehend the text, having easily understood forms on navigating will benefit the audience most.
The question becomes, are students willing to give up detailed understanding of the text read in order to have the ease offered by digital texts?
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Something about Book Design (1932)
Tschichold, J. (1993). Something about Book Design (1932). Design Issues, 9(2), 77-79. doi:10.2307/1511679
‘Since the 1870s, one must always remember that the book should be envisioned as a unity of type, image, title, binding, paper and so forth.’
The pages also discuss the level of collaboration in the books and how when a book is designed by several people, not communicating with each other the artistic unity is lost and you’re left with ‘a rubble heap
Same as previous book, but different chapter:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1511680?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=book&searchText=design&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dbook%2Bdesign&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_SYC-5187%2Ftest&refreqid=search%3Accd1999d440f7c75fbf459baad75cc2a&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents’.
‘With the production of a book as with architecture, one had a double problem: a book or house should be not merely useful but also beautiful, or at least pleasant to behold.’
- The publication needs to be pleasant otherwise the reader won't want to engage with it, this doesn't have to be crazy out there designs but can be more simple and considered with the audience in mind.
Mentions the French orange-yellow book series (look this up) which consists of books that lack any characteristic appearance, it’s expressionless from beginning to end. The pages differ in thickness and the letters are sometimes too thick and sometimes too pale.
Discusses the ‘dynamic’ book, full of colours, punctuation, aggressive lines. With this book you open it and the audience will struggle between the sentence and the eye.
- Too much design overpowers the content, want to avoid this when the purpose is to learn form the book.
‘We know that photomontage and the irregular layout of sentences was first used by the futurists and later by the Dadaists’
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Kinesthetic Learning Style
REFERENCE: Houghton College. 2020. Kinesthetic Learning Style | Houghton College. [online] Available at: https://www.houghton.edu/students/center-for-student-success/center-for-academic-success-and-advising/study-advisement/general-study-information/kinesthetic-learning-style/ [Accessed 3 August 2020].
LINK: https://www.houghton.edu/students/center-for-student-success/center-for-academic-success-and-advising/study-advisement/general-study-information/kinesthetic-learning-style/
A kinesthetic-tactile learning style requires that you manipulate or touch material to learn. Kinesthetic-tactile techniques are used in combination with visual and/or auditory study techniques, producing multi-sensory learning.
- Supports Jabr and Myberg in the physical side of reading, using this to support comprehension.
- Thinking about reading as an interactive activity between book and reader, they need to be able to support what the other needs, reading is a symbiotic relationship.
Movements such as; chewing gum, tapping your foot or pencil, pacing, are methods of increasing attention when studying. If moving the body when learning it is beneficial to move the body when recalling the information.
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Learning in Adults: An Overview of Adult-Learning Processes
REFERENCE: Russell, 2020. An Overview of Adult-Learning Processes. 26(5), pp.349-270.
LINK: https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/33997521/aCTIVE_LEARNING_ADULTS_.pdf?1403270049=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DAn_Overview_of_Adult-Learning_Processes.pdf&Expires=1596019819&Signature=OsWWZV8NQGDNtLtNtyMkvDI-dthSQQp3F-1l9KXfEmMZpl1fpWtXSNO1FAuOWuXGvpxLZL0hlVYznimn0neJ0jjfJ8ZCDl-egm0XsYZ-yO2iw7VBmlVuGAEKU94e8GYgxAenNn8P3IEn7-Hna~yNp9RDWFsXoRB~UqCnciAYQ--HrQrM4bcaV2xvqfDtnnTKXrnJ3zZ8a2UyU-Z0rowwdKEQ2-M80ANkh7TVstvTuO9es2HmcW0KOCr5y~555CeC-2UjXZrHvRQeyIo2IHoVp0qHhqAINnaHD1RnWiv8gzrGFQhVQP0JG9ee-6vdIkwW2vgw0eTIMxueTm~WgkhRNg__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA
Conclusions from study: ‘Although each patient may require a unique learning style, adults learn best when teaching strategies combine visual, auditory, and kinesthetic approaches. Assessing the patient’s best style of learning will make a difference in the methods and materials most appropriate for the teaching session. Ultimately, adults learn best by doing. Active participation, which can take many different forms, is the cornerstone for both the style of learning and the principles of adult education. Active learning results in longer term recall, synthesis, and problem-solving skills than learning with verbal instruction only.’
- What does this mean in terms of publication? Is it that the design should change to accommodate these findings or should the content change to ask the audience questions and get them to think deeper about the material?
Kinesthetic teaching strategies:
- Permit frequent breaks in teaching session to allow learner to move around room.
- Encourage learner to write down their own notes.
- Encourage learner to stand or move while reciting information or learning new material.
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Interactivity - Are Books Interactive?
LINK:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_media#:~:text=Books with a simple table,experience is non-interactive reading.
Wikipedia, n.d. Interactive Media. [online] En.wikipedia.org. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_media#:~:text=Books%20with%20a%20simple%20table,experience%20is%20non%2Dinteractive%20reading> [Accessed 9 December 2020].
Books are usually considered non-interactive since the majority of the user experience is non-interactive reading.
- Pop-up books are considered interactive media.
- Books with a table of contents or insect may be considered interactive due to the non-linear control mechanism.
‘Interactive media is helpful in the four development dimensions in which young children learn: social and emotional, language development, cognitive and general knowledge, and approaches toward learning... A study found that basic interactive books that simply read a story aloud and highlighted words and phrases as they were spoken were beneficial for children with lower reading abilities. Children have different styles of learning, and interactive media helps children with visual, verbal, auditory, and tactile learning styles.’
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Discussing Books and Interaction Further
LINK: https://www.webcredible.com/blog/what-makes-good-interactive-book/
Interactive books offer such tantalising advantages over traditional print that it’s easy to be seduced into thinking that the reading experience can only be improved by the introduction of interactions. Text can be supplemented with beautiful rotatable images, sound, animations, alternative routes through content, updated content… The possibilities seem limitless.
The act of reading isn’t passive, it’s highly active and interactive – the magic happens between the text and the world the reader creates in response to the text. Anything that unnecessarily interrupts this process is likely to be annoying to the reader. So what classes as a necessary interruption?
- When the interaction helps the reader understand the content
- When the interaction enriches the content in a way that text cannot
- The ideas presented seem as though they could become over-powering, if introducing ideas such as these they should be carefully considered.
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On Book Design - Richard Hendel:
REFERENCE: Hendel, 1998. On Book Design. New Haven : Yale University Press, p.9.
LINK: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=fS0-_VuikBMC&pg=PA74&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false
‘The design of everyday things is often invisible. Until the look of something becomes radically different from what we expect, we rarely think about its appearance.’
‘What the author writes in a book is not all that tells what a book is about. The physical shape of the book, as well as its typography, also defines it.’
- The idea that production has an impact on the way we perceive books. This made me think back to Dom's research for her masters and how people interacted with different bound books in different ways as they perceived one to be less important than the other.
‘A tall, thin novel or small, square on makes a statement that the book is not what you expect.’
Hendel challenged a young student to redesign a 17th century book about the british military. The result was 8pt type, ragged right, set asymmetrically on the page. The design was exciting and different and didn’t seem right for that type of book. To these comments the student replied that ‘making readers see the words in an unexpected context might force them to think about what the author was saying.’ ‘Designers need to realise, however, that by using unexpected typography, they might make the reader more aware of how the words look than of what they say.’ ‘Novelty is not necessarily a virtue. If a design is ot vary from what is expected, it should add some level of meaning to the text; otherwise, it is simply a flimsy excuse for the eccentric.’
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