Problems with reading in old age
Older people perceive the text differently
Their work has proven that with age, people begin to perceive printed text differently, which may explain why older people so often have problems with reading. The results of this study are published in the journal Psychology and Aging (Filtered Text Reveals Adult Age Differences in Reading: Evidence From Eye Movements).
Dr. Kevin Paterson (Kevin Paterson) from the School of Psychology at the University and his colleagues have developed an innovative method for studying reading techniques, which combines the possibilities of digital text manipulation and modern techniques for tracking eye movements. The experiment involved young (18 to 30 years old) and elderly (65 and older) people who were asked to read a certain text. While reading, the researchers had the opportunity to "play" with the settings of the text – its clarity, contrast or brightness. In parallel, the smallest eye movements of the reading participants were analyzed.
The results of the study proved that it is much easier for young people to read clearer and more contrasting text, and for older people – more blurred and vague. As Dr. Paterson explains, progressive reading difficulties in older people can be caused by a gradual decrease in their visual sensitivity. This is due to age-related changes in the structure of the eye and the transmission of nerve impulses to the visual center of the brain. As a result, it is more difficult for older people to see the letters that make up the words, but they adapt to these changes by changing the reading technique. They begin to resort more often to a holistic perception of words, for example, they recognize a word by its form, which is not typical for young people.
"Studies have shown that a decrease in the ability to read with age significantly worsens the quality of life of older people," the author of the study writes. – Such people cannot read newspapers and books, receipts or instructions for medicines, it is more difficult for them to learn something new and just communicate with other people. That is why it is so important for us to study the mechanisms underlying this problem as best as possible in order to learn how to deal with it."
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru27.11.2012