Brain Wiring: And How Your Hands Influence Your Sight
How to Double Your Reading Speed And Improve Comprehension
Why California is Absolutely Scientifically Right
California law requires you keep both hands on the wheel.
No use of hand-held cell phones while driving.
Humans see when light strikes our retina containing our two types of photoreceptors, the Rods and Cones. They transfer information through our Optic Nerve to our brain’s visual cortex.
Primary Visual Cortex
Our brain’s Primary Visual Cortex is located in our NeoCortex and receives visual input for cognitive (thinking) and perceptual (understanding) processing.
Key Idea: When your eyes see your hands in its field-of-vision, your mental comprehension improves.
Example: see your hands as you type on your word-processor.
Example: underline the words of the sentences you read using your Cursor as a Pacer will 2x your reading speed.
Research
This original study was done at Washington University, St. Louis, directed by lead researcher, Richard A.
Abrams.
Conclusion: The nearer your hands appear to the object you are working on, the greater your vision.
It is hard-wired in our brain, as a reflex and non-conscious instinct to process information better, the closer the object is to our hands.
The answer to Why is based on evolution and the human need
to analyze objects and use them or to protect against these objects. It applies to the manufacture of rehabilitative
therapy and prosthetic devices.
Reading
When searching the text of a page for specific “letters”
or “words”, our thinking is faster when we see our hands
in our field-of-vision compared to having our hands at our
sides and unseen.
This newly discovered brain-wiring causes us to use our Attention and “Mind’s-Eye” for greater comprehension when our hands are involved and within our line-of-sight.
Reading
Our Core Competency is the area of reading, comprehension and long-term memory.
We have researched the use of a Pacer while reading to
replace “random spacing” by “specific guidance”. 99.9%
of us read using random-spacing unknowingly slowing their
attention, comprehension, memory and reading speed.
Specific Guidance is using a Pacer to influence our eyes
and perception. If you can your eyes can see your hands as you read, or an extension of your hands – the Pacer, “it alters your perception.”
Dr. Abrams says, to see objects better, get your hands involved. The same principle in speed reading is an instinct called “the-eyes-follow-a-moving-object.”
Our research traces the reading process using a Pacer to
guide the eye (specific-guidance) to Israel over two-thousand years ago. Their name for the Pacer is YAD,
meaning hand in Hebrew. The instrument used is similar
to a hand pointing its index finger at the words.
The original purpose was to improve concentration and attention and reduce loss of cognition.
Creating a Habit
If you use the cursor on your computer as a Pacer while
you read, and a Pen to underline as you read books, articles and reports, it requires 21 days for 15 minutes
daily.
Your practice will at least double your reading speed,
with improved comprehension and long-term memory.
Ask us about the specific strategies of speed reading
to triple your reading speed and double your memory.
Endwords
If your cannot see your hands or their extension when
reading, you tend to lose your location on the page.
It causes “regressions”, loss of comprehension, inattention and state-of-mind (boredom). This will reduce your reading speed by up to 50%.
Coda: “When you keep your hands visible as you manipulate
objects (including reading and learning), you ALTER your
perception for self-improvement.
Ask us how.
See ya,
copyright © 2008
H. Bernard Wechsler
www.speedlearning.org
hbw@speedlearning.org
-----------------------------------------------------------
Author of Speed Reading For Professionals
published by Barron's. Business partner of
Evelyn Wood, graduated 2 million, including
the White House Staffs of four U.S. Presidents.