Reading science
Evidence-based articles on Reading science, from the Read Master team.
Schema Theory: How Your Mental Models Determine Comprehension
By Read Master TeamReaders don't store a text, they rebuild it from mental models. Schema theory explains why the same page lands differently for two people.
Interleaving vs. Blocked Practice: What Reading Research Shows
By Read Master TeamPracticing one topic at a time feels efficient, but mixed practice wins on every delayed test. Here's the evidence, and how readers can use it.
Does Highlighting Actually Help You Learn? The Research Says No.
By Read Master TeamHighlighting is the most popular study technique and one of the least effective. Here is what the research found, and how to mark a book so it works.
How Working Memory Limits Deep Reading (and How to Expand It)
By Read Master TeamWorking memory holds a few items for a few seconds, and deep reading strains it. Training barely helps, but there is a proven workaround.
Prior Knowledge's Outsized Role in Reading Comprehension
By Read Master TeamWeak readers who knew baseball out-recalled strong readers who didn't. What you know before you open a book can matter as much as reading skill.
The Forgetting Curve: What Ebbinghaus Got Right (and Wrong)
By Read Master TeamThe forgetting curve is quoted everywhere and understood almost nowhere. Here is what Ebbinghaus actually found in 1885, and what he got wrong.
What Happens in Your Brain When You Read
By Read Master TeamReading feels automatic, but it runs on a brain circuit that never evolved for it. Here is what happens in the quarter second after your eyes hit a word.
The Testing Effect: How Retrieval Practice Builds Lasting Memory
By Read Master TeamA test is not just a measurement. Pulling an idea out of memory is one of the most powerful ways to learn. Here is the research and how to use it.
How Your Brain Consolidates Memory During Sleep After Reading
By Read Master TeamYou read a chapter, then sleep. Overnight your brain replays and files what you read. Here is how sleep consolidates memory, and how to use it.
The Spacing Effect: Why Distributed Practice Beats Cramming
By Read Master TeamCramming works for tomorrow and fails by next month. A century of spacing research shows how to schedule reviews so what you read actually stays.
Why Re-reading Doesn't Work (and What Actually Does)
By Read Master TeamRe-reading feels productive, but decades of memory research show it barely helps. Here's what the studies recommend instead.