The Aliterate: The Science of Reading

Reading is a skill often assumed to be natural, but has a human history of only 6,000 years, making it a relatively recent development not innately programmed into us. This exploration into reading, involving neuroscience and cognitive science, reveals it as a complex cognitive process engaging nearly all brain areas. Particularly, a special region in the brain's left hemisphere is dedicated to deciphering characters. Despite our desire to consume information rapidly, reading speed is limited by how our eyes process text through saccades and fixations. Additionally, phonemic awareness plays a significant role in reading, with difficulties in vocalization leading to challenges such as dyslexia. Experiments, including one comparing the reading abilities of an adult with little baseball knowledge to a children's baseball team, showcase how background knowledge affects literacy. Reading transcends mere character recognition, requiring deep comprehension and the integration of existing knowledge.