Bernard Bull

• A small but growing number of researchers are uncovering evidence that readers are better able to remember what they read in printed books long-term when compared to materials read via an electronic screen.
• First, students using digital versions of the unfamiliar material had to read the same information several times to gain the same level of knowledge as print readers. Second, students reading printed books seemed to more fully digest and understand the material.
• Scientists theorize another factor, spatial context, is also particularly important when dealing with memorization. In his blog, neuroscientist Mark Changizi explains that "in nature, information comes with a physical address [and often a temporal one], and one can navigate to and from the address.
• In other words, the human brain uses location to recall the words it reads, which helps reinforce the information. To trigger a memory, the brain might recall whether it read the information at the top, middle, or bottom of the page, remember a corresponding picture on the page, or even a page number -- essentially creating a mental bookmark to cue recall of the information.
• n other words, new practices around e-reading need to evolve before humans are able to absorb the information held in e-books, as quickly and as fully as before.

3 more annotations...

• One study by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt found that students who used the iPad version of an algebra textbook through a year scored 20 percent higher on a test than their traditional textbook-using peers. On the other hand, there are studies coming out saying that students have better content retention when they use traditional textbooks compared to tablets. That’s, of course, a small survey of the different studies on the subjects. If you know of other studies share them with us in the comments below.