More BrandsOne often hears older people complaining about the effect age has had on their eyesight. This is particularly bothersome for those fond of reading, making their favourite pastime an undertaking that requires greater effort. However, living in the digital era can be to the advantage of book lovers since tablet computers make it easier for them to read, a German research team has established.
The study was a joint effort by the Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) in Meinz and the universities of Goettingen and Marburg. The researchers examined reading performance among people of various ages and concluded that, contrary to popular belief, reading books on electronic devices does not tax the brain any more than reading traditional books. Dr Franziska Kretzschmar of JGU’s English and Linguistic Department said that the findings of the study also defied the widespread belief that people reading from digital devices retain less information. Older people in particular achieved faster reading speeds and showed less brain activity while reading from a tablet, possibly because of the better visual contrast compared to printed pages. Participants of the study aged 66 to 77 also found it easier to read on tablets than on electronic book readers with e-ink displays.
Both younger and older subjects declared that reading was a far more pleasant experience when printed books are involved and also claimed that digital devices made it harder. However, the research team recorded their eye movements and brain wave patterns and the analysis revealed a disparity between subjective perceptions of reading on digital devices and the actual cognitive and neuronal effort required for information processing, Kretzschmar said. Interestingly, participants aged 21 to 34 did not demonstrate a greater ease of reading while employing tablet computers.
