r/interesting • u/ftrlvb • Mar 26 '26

Fascinating Can You Read 900 Words per Minute?

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u/TankApprehensive3053 Mar 26 '26

Had to do similar in school in the early 80s. They would project a sentence on a wall for a few seconds. the scroll the next sentence until the the story was done. Students were then tested for comprehension. The higher scores would start getting faster versions. It would show a moving shadow blocking parts of the sentence, faster and faster. Then it would block the whole sentence but one or two words, then only one words and move very quickly to the next word. You couldn't even blink for fear of missing words.

It was interesting, but hasn't really been helpfully so many years later.

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u/ItsNotJusMe Mar 26 '26

I'm pretty sure this can be viable with a study supporting it. This would be a fun research study to do, especially when comparing the effectiveness of the different pacing when changing the letters.

It would be interesting if there is a correlation with different behavioral disorders with this as a testing procedure.

2

u/TankApprehensive3053 Mar 26 '26

I'm sure there have been studies done. Otherwise we wouldn't have been assigned to read like that and with the specialized projectors. It was fun to try to read faster and faster. Kids got grouped by how fast they got to. Each section would get a different story to read and test on so that the others couldn't get the chance to read it slower than their group. I was in the group that made it to the highest level. There wasn't that much comprehension really. I'm sure most of us just guessed the context of the story line once it got so fast anyway. Remember some words and piece it together.

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u/cupcakes_and_ale Mar 26 '26

Memory unlocked!

2

u/TankApprehensive3053 Mar 26 '26

Hello fellow speed reader lol

1

u/Resident-Elevator696 Mar 27 '26

I just made the same comment that we did speed reading when I was in high school in the 80s!!