14 DAY TRIAL // Mindless reading is the phenomenon in which people read sentence after sentence without really paying attention. It happens when you find yourself reading the same paragraph three times or when you get to the end of a page and realize you don't know what you just read.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of British Columbia have now found that the phenomenon is surprisingly common and they think it should be taken more seriously. The study suggested that "zoning out" caused poor test results, as opposed to other possible factors, such as the complexity of the text or the task.
"When you talk about this work at conferences, it does lend itself to a lot of jokes," acknowledges University of Pittsburgh professor Erik Reichle, co-leader of the study. "It's so ubiquitous. Everybody does it. I think that's one of the main reasons it's been overlooked. And there's been a view that it is tough to study experimentally. Hopefully, now, there will be more interest in the topic."
Reichle and fellow psychology professor Jonathan Schooler conducted three experiments in which students used computers to read the first five chapters of Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace." (Reichle said he wanted some boring reading.) Participants were told to monitor and report instances of zoning out as they read text on a computer. Half of them also got computer reminders asking them "Were you zoning out?".
Although the students were probably more alert than a typical reader (after all they were participating to an experiment) many still reported zoning out at a regular pace. "That's the amazing thing," Reichle said. "It shows how often this can happen even under conditions that are designed to keep it from happening."
The students reported that their minds often drifted away from the text. Some were hungry, or thirsty, or tired, others were thinking about plans, worries or memories. Others paid more attention to the book, but they often thought about alternative lines to the plot. But some even drifted into fantasies.
Scientists think that mindless reading can be caused by several factors. The most trivial situation is when the text is boring. However, zoning out can be also caused by the fact that students don't understand the text or have difficulties relating to the story. The authors think this has significant implications for the teaching process because students zoning out more often have poorer results in tests. They suggest that one can try to make himself or herself aware of the occurrence of mindless reading by periodically checking whether one has understood the text.
Photo: Andy Dombrowsky reading
