re: #80 Sharmuta

Syrah- I recall a study from many years ago that showed different areas of the brain were triggered when comparing television to radio. My guess is reading may be near the radio area, or maybe a third place altogether, but in you listening to the book versus reading it, it’s still better than video. It would be interesting though, to know the differences in all three. Earlier I linked a study that shows how television for babies can hurt their language development. I’m so glad I’m not beholden to that box anymore.

(Thinking aloud.)

When I read, I hear the narration and voices of the characters. I think that it may explain why auditory learning is similar to learning through reading. As far as the brain is concerned, the two may be much alike. What I think is most different is that when you read, you must focus more then when you are listening. When you are listening, your mind may wonder off on a thought and where a reader pauses his reading to think off topic, the listeners audio player keeps playing. Things can be easily missed in the audio that cannot be missed in the reading.

As for TV, I think it may be nearly useless as a learning tool. The images have a very strong emotional effect on the human mind. So much so that I wonder if it is of much use for conveying anything more then an emotional message. As a tool for shaping the way people feel about an issue, I think TV is extremely powerful. I just don’t think it does much if anything to help people think more smartly.

And yes, it is good to be free of the controlling influence of the One-Eyed Living Room God.