Reading Comprehension Not Worsened by Noise, Study Finds

Researchers of the HSE Centre for Language and Brain have investigated the impact of both auditory and visual noise on semantic processing during reading to determine if it results in a more superficial reading style that emphasises the meanings of individual words over connections between them in a sentence. It appears that noise does not affect reading comprehension but can cause a decrease in reading speed when even unintelligible conversations are occurring nearby. However, when exposed to visual noise, individuals tend to read slightly faster, possibly due to the irritating nature of the noise. The study findings have been published in PLOS ONE.