Claudia Coolidge Picture yourself given a task. Do you prefer to complete the task through visual learning or verbal learning? Most people claim that they are either a “visual learner” or an “auditory learner.” But what if scientists have proven that there is actually no proof a person can be categorized in this way? Through multiple experiments, some scientists now believe that there is no actual proof of “learning styles.” Psychologists have many different theories about how to categorize learners. Some have suggested that certain people are always able to learn better with pictures and others are able to learn better with words. Other psychologists have explained that some people prefer to solve problems intuitively, whereas others prefer to solve by analyzing. In order to test these theories of auditory-visual learners, they conducted a couple different experiments. The results were shocking. In the first experiment, researchers asked subjects a series of questions about the mental strategies they use when learning new information. The subjects were asked questions: Do you use words or draw a map to explain directions? Researchers then read statements and participants rated how easily they could picture it or how easily they could pronounce it. They gave diagrams and written instructions to the participants and asked them to learn a new task. The individuals were already identified as “auditory” or “visual” learners based on how they told the researchers they identified. Those who self-identified as visualizers went to diagrams and those who saw themselves as verbalizers went to written. The researchers believed people who were auditory learners should have remembered better if they focused on sound while visual learners should have remembered better by creating image. However, this is not how the results came back at all. The results demonstrated that they did not learn faster just because they were using a technique they thought was better for them. In another experiment, researchers looked at brain activity to find that people mentally changed the task to align with what they think their learning style is. When participants who thought they were “visual” saw words, their visual part of brain was active, and when “verbal” saw pictures their verbal part of brain was active. However, neither group performed better when the stimuli matched what they thought their learning style was. The results of this experiment demonstrate that there is no scientific proof learning style that works for one individual more than another learning style. These studies support the idea that it is better to change the learning style for the task at hand than the individual. I thought of myself as a visual learner before researching this topic, but I now wonder why I thought that and whether my learning style affects how I learn or not. If the experiments above are true, then I wouldn’t be either. I think I might try learning in multiple ways to test the theory for myself. I encourage you to think about your own perception of your learning style and challenge yourself to try other, alternate methods of learning! Willingham, D. T. (2018, October 04). Are You a Visual or an Auditory Learner? It Doesn't Matter. Retrieved December 3, 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/opinion/sunday/visual-learner-auditory-school-education.html?rref=collection/timestopic/Psychology and Psychologists&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=search&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=collection
2 Comments
Kaitlyn Bennett
1/3/2019 04:14:58 am
I have always thought of myself as a visual learner. I love to draw pictures and make little diagrams in my notes to help me remember things. Reading about these studies has got me thinking a little more about why I think of myself as a visual learner. I have always thought it helped me but that could very well not be the case. I think the difference for me in learning styles is how easy one is compared to another. I think it is easier for my brain to understand things visually than any other way. In other words when I learn things visually it is a way for my brain to be just a little bit lazier then when I am learning something through another strategy.
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Calin McGonagle
1/16/2019 07:06:41 pm
I have been told many times that I am a visual learner, and I have always thought so too. Reading this makes me question a lot of things that teachers have told me over the past, as well as parents and coaches. This article was really well written and made me think a lot about how me thinking I'm a visual learner doesn't necessarily mean I will perform better when using a visual technique over an auditory technique. I would totally try other learning styles now, to see if they really do make a difference and test out this idea. I also find it interesting how different psychologists have different theories on how to categorize learners. I always assumed that they all only had visual and auditory but I guess there can be other categories for types of learners. Awesome article!
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Ms. Carrigan's Psych ClassWe have been reading articles about psychological studies to inform the way we live our lives. Please explore, and we hope you learn a bit about the psychology in your life! Categories
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