forty-two Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 In The Gift of Dyslexia, the author implies that people who comprehend via hearing the words spoken in their mind are auditory-sequential learners, and people who comprehend via seeing pictures are visual-spatial learners (and that people who do neither would have some serious issues with reading comprehension). And of course people can be both auditory-sequential *and* visual-spatial. I do both, and I do have both auditory-sequential and visual-spatial traits. Tangential, but I read on the boards about a student who seemed very auditory-sequential, but after she had vision therapy it turned out she was actually much stronger visual-spatially, only because of the vision issues she couldn't use those strengths, and so had compensated with her turned-out-to-be *weaker* auditory-sequential skills. I used to think I was a very visual learner, but now I'm wondering if some of that was me compensating for auditory processing weaknesses. Because for all that purely auditory input is a real weak point for me, and in fact I learned to read via whole words (which is supposed to favor visual-spatial strengths), I *cannot* read a word that I can't "hear" in my head. Simply can't - I have to stare and puzzle and ponder until I can figure out *some* sort of consistent pronunciation. And that has auditory-sequential written all over it. (And that combined with my auditory processing issues has caused some real problems with learning Greek.) Of course, as it turns out, I can't comprehend without being able to picture what I read, either. (Learned *that* doing Orberg's Lingua Latina. Foreign language learning is bringing out all my language weaknesses it seems.) And that has taught me that consciously visualizing what I read is actually a weak point for me. Which makes me wonder if it's not so much that I'm hugely visual, but that I've been using my relatively weaker visual-spatial skills to compensate for my auditory processing issues - that my auditory strengths are hidden because of the processing issues. In any case, in English the dual auditory and visual comprehension seems to complement each other - any glitches in one is made up for by the other, and in general comprehension is easy. But in foreign languages it's the opposite - I seem to need both at full power - and it's showing all the deficits I never was aware of before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 What kind of pictures? LIke picturing the story as it goes along? I totally hear words that I am reading (in my own voice incidentally, although I have heard of people who hear them in someone else's voice) but I am not sure what kind of pictures. As I read along I picture a scene. Is that what you mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forty-two Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 What kind of pictures? LIke picturing the story as it goes along? I totally hear words that I am reading (in my own voice incidentally, although I have heard of people who hear them in someone else's voice) but I am not sure what kind of pictures. As I read along I picture a scene. Is that what you mean? Yep, like that :). Or having a full-fledged movie playing. If you *see* anything in your mind's eye as you read, it counts for the purposes of this poll :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I get it now. Especially if I am reading fiction, it is like a movie with a narrator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomeontheprairie Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I have always heard the words. Seldom dd8 I see it in pictures. As a kid the books I was able to "picture" really threw me for a loop since that want what normally happened when I read a book. I can remember commenting that reading a book was like seeing teletype in my head.... Still is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a27mom Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Yep, like that :). Or having a full-fledged movie playing. If you *see* anything in your mind's eye as you read, it counts for the purposes of this poll :). I would think most adults would have at least a little of both, unless they have an actual deficiency in one sense. I am definitely auditory, I always hear words in my head, even when I look at a picture, I hear the words of a story. But, I also see "pictures" when I read fiction, definitely not a movie though. More like a film strip, a collection of still photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 You forgot the obligatory 'other'! I'm one who does not see pictures in my head. When I begin reading a novel, I initially hear the words as though I am reading aloud silently (which sounds remarkably oxymoronic!). After a short time, I am simply experiencing the story but with no visual or sound effects. I simply turn the pages and take in the story. At some level, I'm aware of the words on the page, because a grammatical error or misspelling can be quite jarring. (My husband and daughter find my experience to be quite odd as they both see a movie and hear dialogue.) It's also not uncommon for me to have absolutely no recollection of the names of the main characters when I have finished a book.I've talked about this with friends, and in general, the majority seem to have a visual experience when reading fiction. Non-fiction seems to bring about different experiences though I do have one friend who discussed seeing compounds coming together and reforming when she studied Organic Chemistry.Regards,Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSmomof2 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I need an 'other' option, too. I see pictures (like a movie), but I also 'see' the words, not hear them. I am definitely not an auditory learner. Dh and ds love audiobooks and being read to.....I can't stand audiobooks, do not like having someone read to me and struggle to pay attention in those scenarios. For listening at church or to a lecture, I have to take notes to remember anything that was said. I've always been very good at spelling because I can 'see' the word in my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ameena Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Add me to the other pile too. I have never, even as a small child, seen pictures in my head while reading. I also don't hear it either. I just experience it, if that makes sense. Same thing with dreams - 98% of the time my dreams are thoughts / experiences with no picture. I also have a complete inability to comprehend something read out loud to me. It just doesn't make any sense whatsoever. I have to physically read it myself, then it clicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I also have a complete inability to comprehend something read out loud to me. It just doesn't make any sense whatsoever. I have to physically read it myself, then it clicks. :iagree: Rather than auditory or visual, I consider myself text-oriented. I hate the trend of online news being video instead of text - I'd read it better and faster. I don't listen to podcasts or audiobooks. Give me print. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I do both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I am VERY auditory-sequential and I hear words and see "movies" when I read. This is why I don't like to watch movies of books I read cause my imagination is sooo much better! :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Usually I hear words in my head when I'm reading (and when I'm thinking, for that matter), although if I get really engrossed in a story I do start to see it as a movie and I either stop hearing the words, or just stop being aware of hearing the words — kind of like tuning out someone's voice when you're trying to concentrate on something else. DS, however, doesn't hear words at all when he reads, he just "sees" the information (even nonfiction). He seems to do the same thing with foreign languages, which I find interesting — IOW, he visualizes what the sentence describes, so when he translates he goes from the foreign language to visual images and then to English. Then he has to be very careful to go back over the foreign sentence and match the words to English words, because many times he translates what he "saw" rather than the word-for-word meaning. He once said that other languages aren't really any more "foreign" to him than English is, since his "first language" is images, not words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 For people who neither see nor hear the story as if a movie playing in their minds, but rather 'experience' it, what form is the experience in if you could analogize that to something that might be familiar like a movie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherri in MI Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 :iagree: Rather than auditory or visual, I consider myself text-oriented. I hate the trend of online news being video instead of text - I'd read it better and faster. I don't listen to podcasts or audiobooks. Give me print. Yes! Can't stand the video news. I am definitely a text learner. I always take notes when I listen to a sermon or lecture, otherwise I don't remember much of what I hear. If I spead read I don't hear my voice while reading. And I only see pictures if I'm reading fiction. I see it like a movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I put neither, but maybe its a little of both, but below the radar? I'm a super-fast reader, so there's really not enough time to hear the words . . . if i try to hear the words it slows me down too much. I dont see images much but I think its kinda like . . once my daughter was asking me if I can picture a map in my head when I'm thinking about where I am and the best place to get where I'm going. Its more like I see a diagram with junctions and destination . . not an image, more of a schematic. So when I'm reading a fiction story, i dont see it like a movie or a a picture, but I sort of 'sense' the action, like sometimes in a dream when you know something happened but you didnt see it? idk. weird. I always got 99th on standardized tests, so no problem w comprehension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Both. It is probably why I enjoy reading so much. I read the same book (Gift of Dyslexia). When my (dyslexic) daughter told me that she couldn't visualize the words (didn't see pictures in her head), I suddenly understood why she hated reading so much. She had to work so hard to read the words, that she wasn't seeing the "pictures" in her mind. I *love* reading because, to me, it's a running screen (complete with audio, lol!). I imagine I would enjoy it much less without that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clemota Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I see pictures. In fact, when I stop and analyze it (as in, I really focus on the words that I'm reading) I get bogged down. I don't see the words or hear them, I just experience the story as a whole in pictures. I have trouble listening to audiobooks. The words are too intrusive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I do both. I believe I actually have significant visual spatial weaknesses, FWIW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Neither...and both. Generally I do not see or hear while reading. I think I read too quickly for visual or auditory input. The story is going right into my head and if I stop and think about it I have very definite visual (and occasionally auditory) ideas about things but I do not 'see' those while I'm reading. My visual ideas are accessed more like memories...they're there but they take conscious thought to access them. Even though I can't see them, they do create assumptions within the story. They are there...somewhere...just not like a television or a photograph. Maybe they're slightly unconscious and I have to pull them together when I stop and think? Even thinking and making connections within a story slows me down. When I have a thought I can feel myself slow down, so I take that moment to make other connections and savor the story before I dive back in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Um....I hear words, no pictures. There's no way I'm an auditory learner...visual all the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Cornelia Snook Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Very interesting discussion. I see the pictures and hear the words, and I've always loved read. I wonder if those who do not enjoy reading are getting less of a rich experience from it? My ODS likes to read non-fiction, but can't get into fiction. Especially not sci-fi or fantasy, I ought to ask him in the morning what his experience with reading is like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeking Squirrels Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Add me to the other pile too. I have never, even as a small child, seen pictures in my head while reading. I also don't hear it either. I just experience it, if that makes sense. Same thing with dreams - 98% of the time my dreams are thoughts / experiences with no picture. I also have a complete inability to comprehend something read out loud to me. It just doesn't make any sense whatsoever. I have to physically read it myself, then it clicks. This is me, too. I hate when DH is trying to share something important with me and he reads it off a paper or online. I always have to interrupt and remind him I need to read it myself. I will not be able to take it in listening. I do okay with audiobooks if it's a good reader and I'm already familiar with the story. I love listening to Harry potter. Random new book by random reader? Nope. Couldn't tell you a thing about the story later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeking Squirrels Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 For people who neither see nor hear the story as if a movie playing in their minds, but rather 'experience' it, what form is the experience in if you could analogize that to something that might be familiar like a movie? Hmmm.... Maybe like a really dark scene? Or even completely black? You know what's happening from other clues (context or sounds) but you can't actually see it. I get very absorbed in fiction novels. I feel like I am completely there and part of the story. But I don't think I've ever really seen the pictures in my mind. Nor do I absorb individual words. Sometimes when I come across a misspelled word or awkward sentence, it pulls me out and I'm seeing the words on the page again. That's like coming out of a dream or something and I have to find my rhythm again to reimmerse myself in the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Neither. I just know what it said. Sometimes when I'm reading for enjoyment I hear the words, but generally I read too fast to read it out loud in my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korrale Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I will say neither and both as well. Generally when I read I don't see pictures or hear words. When I was reading through this forum that was the case. But when I read dialogue I will sometimes imagine and "hear" the voices of the characters. When I read exceptionally well written descriptive narrative I will see stuff.... Mostly floor plans in houses. Or maps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I honestly have no idea. I guess I must 'see' and 'hear' things because if I watch a movie I will know whether the setting looks like I thought it should, or whether the character's voice doesn't seem right (eg Professor McGonagall's accent was 'wrong' for me), but at the same time I don't recall actually 'seeing' and 'hearing' as I read. Possibly I'm 'living' the story like real life, because I don't go around all day thinking 'I see...' and 'I hear...' non-stop. Or possibly I'm not doing either, but reconstructing it in memory later on. Now I'm going to have to think about this next time I read fiction, but I guess thinking about it will ruin it lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korrale Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I honestly have no idea. I guess I must 'see' and 'hear' things because if I watch a movie I will know whether the setting looks like I thought it should, or whether the character's voice doesn't seem right (eg Professor McGonagall's accent was 'wrong' for me), but at the same time I don't recall actually 'seeing' and 'hearing' as I read. Possibly I'm 'living' the story like real life, because I don't go around all day thinking 'I see...' and 'I hear...' non-stop. Or possibly I'm not doing either, but reconstructing it in memory later on. Now I'm going to have to think about this next time I read fiction, but I guess thinking about it will ruin it lol. Exactly! I don't recall vividly seeing things.....but I know when something doesn't look or sound right. That is why I think sometimes casting is not at all what I expected. And when I know that there is a movie and I intend to read the book I will sometimes look up the cast to see what they look like so I am not disappointed. One thing springs to mind. When I watched the Hunger Games I was completely underwhelmed when they approached the Capitol on the train. It was not nearly as prominent and ostentatious as it was described in the books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 primarily pictures, so that's what I marked. Honestly, I can't say I 'hear' the words in my head when I read. I have to force myself to when I'm reading something that doesn't easily translate to imagination (think reading a devotional book vs. reading a novel). I would have to pick up some fiction and see what happens to see if I do or not with those. I don't have any nearby at the moment or I would try (but I'd also be worried that I'd be skewing it because I'd be thinking about it.) Random thought: I can easily listen to music while doing absolutely anything, though. Except math. ?? But I didn't know if maybe I'm not auditory because the music doesn't bother me in whatever I'm focusing on at all. (I'm assuming I can't have music and math at the same time since they are so similar? Not sure...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 I much prefer to read something in text then to watch a video or listen to an audio book. I have a hard time focusing on someone else reading and it is much faster for me to read to get information. I have very high comprehension for things I read myself but I do not see images in my head going by like most seem to. I can picture something in my mind and can imagine it but it isn't in real time like movie like people are describing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 What an interesting conversation. I answered for myself. I hear words only. I am a passionate reader and always have been. I do require quiet to read, so I can hear the words :). I am an auditory learner, although reading is auditory for me and is the best way for me to learn. Ds is a strong visual spacial guy. He had a non-verbal IQ test done when he was 3 (LDs) and maxed out the visual spacial portion of the test. He see's pictures. He loves to read and always has since he started at 2.5. He remembers everything he has ever read with a nearly photographic memory and reading is by far the best way for him to learn. Dd is an auditory learner. There is a hint of visual, but auditory is an extreme strength. She hears words. She said when I read aloud she sees pictures, but not when she reads. She doesn't like to read and doesn't do it for pleasure, in spite of the fact she has always been a good reader since she taught herself at 4. Reading is a terrible way for her to try to learn anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaughingCat Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 For people who neither see nor hear the story as if a movie playing in their minds, but rather 'experience' it, what form is the experience in if you could analogize that to something that might be familiar like a movie? A dream without all the random jumping around. Of course, the fact that I dream that way is probably due to the same reason that books are that way for me LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snow Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 I say the words in my mind and get a very vague feeling/image. So for, "She had blonde hair" in my mind, I just get a feeling of 'blonde' but I don't picture a specific type of blonde or the kind of haircut she had. Maybe that means I'm more words oriented than pictures? Interesting to think about. I'm always shocked by how dramatic and emotional movies are compared to the book. I think I must read in total monotone. Reading is definitely not like watching a movie for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korrale Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 I much prefer to read something in text then to watch a video or listen to an audio book. I have a hard time focusing on someone else reading and it is much faster for me to read to get information. I have very high comprehension for things I read myself but I do not see images in my head going by like most seem to. I can picture something in my mind and can imagine it but it isn't in real time like movie like people are describing. My friends tease me because I have to watch shows with the captions on. Not because I can't hear, but because I prefer to read a TV show. I struggle with listening to audio books also. I have been trying to build my attention span for them. To make things easier I play them on double speed. But I would much rather be reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoorsy Type Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 I start out hearing words only, if I don't focus it stays at that. When I have been reading a few minutes, I will start imagining the scene in my head. It's not always elaborate, but I have a good outline in my head. I like both audio books and reading, but I do have an easier time imagining what I have read. I have found that I can't project the story in my head when I'm sick or stressed out. I'm also a better reader when I have worked out that day. I don't know what the connection is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 It depends what I'm reading. With difficult text or difficult subject matter I tend to hear the words in my mind. When I'm reading a good novel, everything goes directly to images. Vague images, though. I never actually picture people in stories I read. But I do have a sense of who they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 I put neither, but maybe its a little of both, but below the radar? I'm a super-fast reader, so there's really not enough time to hear the words . . . if i try to hear the words it slows me down too much. I dont see images much but I think its kinda like . . once my daughter was asking me if I can picture a map in my head when I'm thinking about where I am and the best place to get where I'm going. Its more like I see a diagram with junctions and destination . . not an image, more of a schematic. So when I'm reading a fiction story, i dont see it like a movie or a a picture, but I sort of 'sense' the action, like sometimes in a dream when you know something happened but you didnt see it? idk. weird. I always got 99th on standardized tests, so no problem w comprehension. Yes, that's a good description for me, too. I think the things I "see" are more of symbol for real things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plumshadow Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 :iagree: Rather than auditory or visual, I consider myself text-oriented. I hate the trend of online news being video instead of text - I'd read it better and faster. I don't listen to podcasts or audiobooks. Give me print. This is me! I don't even bother if a video clip doesn't have a text option but I am very visual. I can listen to audio books for pleasure but if it is anything I need to learn it needs to be written down even if only in note form. Lectures work if I can see the information in my mind or it really becomes "in one ear, out the other" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2OandE Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I see a full fledge movie. In fact, dd book club read Junonia and in my mind I see a full fledge movie. I would swear its a movie and not a book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I hear words and struggle to see pictures. However, even though I don't have a clear picture that I could describe, if I see a movie based on a book or see actual pictures later of a person or place, I can tell you it doesn't look like what I expected. I have some "spatial" without a strong visual though--for example, I don't necessarily see words, but I can tell you where something was on the page if it was important to me, and can find it again easily that way. (That particular trait makes me shy away from the e-reader concept). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I'm weird. I think in writing. If I'm watching something on tv with captions, I'll be drawn to the captions and not hear and miss a lot of the picture. I imagine things in written words. When reading, I just read. I have to stop and concentrate to bring up a mental picture, or a voice/sound. I don't know why this is--learning to read early may have something to do with it. I don't remember not being able to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I much prefer to read something in text then to watch a video or listen to an audio book. I have a hard time focusing on someone else reading and it is much faster for me to read to get information. I also prefer to read rather than listen, most of the time. I find that if I listen to the kids' audio books, I get distracted by the reader's accent and way of reading, especially if the reader is a well-known actor (eg, The Last Battle read by Patrick Stewart just sounds wrong wrong wrong, because Captain Picard isn't meant to be in Narnia!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 So in further discussion about this with dd, she told me that when I read aloud, she gets a full movie playing, but when she reads it is just words. She misses the movie because she is concentrating on the words. That is why she doesn't like to read, but loves to watch movies or be read to. Should I be concerned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I get a movie that is being narrated, so both. Sometimes I have a hard time picturing the scene and will just get narration. My dd is much the same, although she is much better at picturing and manipulating pictures in her head than I was at her age. My oldest ds is more auditory which is a little sad to me because he also has auditory processing problems, so well he hears words more than sees pictures (although he does see pictures some too depending on what it is), he often mixes up the words a little. My youngest ds is more visual and sees a lot of pictures, but still hears words some too. None of my kids is all one to the exclusion of the other. They might be stronger one direction than the other, but not completely visual or auditory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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