An analysis of reading rates in college students

Abstract

Despite prior research which suggests an upper limit on reading rates of 300–400 wpm, the literature on college reading continues to suggest attainment of patently unrealistic reading speeds, for example, well in excess of 1,000 wpm. More recent experimental data reviewed here show how the components of human information processing limit reading rates. The causal factors are not found in limitations of the visual system but in speed and efficiency of processes involved in word recognition, the size of working memory, and comprehension processes. Implications of this research suggest new and more effective ways of measuring and training these processes to facilitate efficient reading performance in mature readers.