Does the Brain Like E-Books?
Posted by Celia Walter | 16 Oct, 2009Writing and reading — from newspapers to novels, academic reports to gossip magazines — are migrating ever faster to digital screens, like laptops, Kindles and cellphones. Traditional book publishers are putting out “vooks,” which place videos in electronic text that can be read online or on an iPhone. Others are republishing old books in electronic form. And libraries, responding to demand, are offering more e-books for download.
Is there a difference in the way the brain takes in or absorbs information when it is presented electronically versus on paper? Does the reading experience change, from retention to comprehension, depending on the medium?
- Alan Liu, English professor: A New Metaphor for Reading
- Sandra Aamodt, author, “Welcome to Your Brain”: A Test of Character
- Maryanne Wolf, professor of child development: Beyond Decoding Words
- David Gelernter, computer scientist: The Book Made Better
- Gloria Mark, professor of informatics: The Effects of Perpetual Distraction