| Typical person is able to read between two and | | | | experiments) in such a short amount of time was |
| four hundreds words per minute. You may think | | | | achieved after longer training with tachistoscope. |
| that 400 is really a lot but there is nothing more | | | | What we may not necessary realize is that most |
| far away from true. You can practice your speed | | | | tachistoscopic speed reading courses are not |
| reading skill with tachistoscopic training. | | | | prepared great. After many experiments people |
| Tachistoscope was used by R.A.F (Royal Air | | | | reported that their reading speed went down |
| Forces) to show images of planes and gradually | | | | shortly. In the same time most of this courses |
| lower exposure time and check how fast human | | | | aim to go from 200 to 400 words per minute, |
| eye can recognise side of plane (enemy or ally). | | | | yet this is normal range nothing outstanding. From |
| Later the same experiment was carried over to | | | | that we can conclude that the most of courses |
| examine words recognition. The results were | | | | aiming for around 500 words per minute are |
| amazing. Today's adaption of tachistoscope are | | | | rather useless. What you need to understand is |
| flash-cards and so called still-screen course, but | | | | that this method will not make you reading |
| you need to watch out! | | | | extremely fast in a short amount of time. |
| To realize how fast we can read at first and how | | | | Many scientists say that improve of speed |
| much we can improve we need to perform some | | | | reading while training with tachistoscope is just a |
| mathematical calculations. Eye is able to identify | | | | matter of heightened motivation level in the time |
| image or word in 1/500 of a second and it was | | | | of course and this would explain a slow down few |
| proven by Royal Air Forces researches decades | | | | weeks after typical course is finished. It is also |
| ago. Going further with this rule we should be able | | | | said that tachistoscopic speed reading methods |
| to get around 23,000 words in just one minute. | | | | does not improve general comprehension and due |
| Just to clarify the things recognising a word or | | | | to that should be used only as a support of fast |
| enemy's plane (images used in the first | | | | reading techniques and not the main practice. |