Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [learning]

the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, study, or by being taught.

32 questions
11
votes
3 answers

Is listening to music while studying distracting?

When I was at school, the teachers always forbade us from using our mp3s, and we weren't allowed to listen to any music while in class. The reason being that it seems the music would distract us, that is, we won't be able to concentrate as well. Is…
Thursagen
  • 6,175
  • 3
  • 39
  • 52
11
votes
0 answers

Can audio played during REM sleep improve recall?

I was reading about sleep-learning - for example of the type depicted in The Simpsons episode, Bart's Friend Falls in Love: Homer orders a subliminal cassette tape to help him lose weight, but is accidentally sent one that helps him increase his…
Mauricio Arias Olave
  • 275
  • 2
  • 13
10
votes
0 answers

Has hypnopaedia been proven to work? To what extent?

The idea of learning during sleep, say by listening to a recorded class, can be tempting to make a good use of roughly a third of the day. Has it ever worked though? If so what is the most efficient method to retain information?
Renan
  • 2,549
  • 5
  • 19
  • 31
9
votes
0 answers

Does reading what you listen parallely improve your ability to speak English?

I can write English well, and can also understand it well (provided someone speaks i a known accent.) For improving my spoken English I have got audio books. I can understand what I am being told by the book. There are many claims on the internet…
Aquarius_Girl
  • 1,085
  • 5
  • 15
  • 27
7
votes
2 answers

Does moderate exercise improve learning ability?

Heavy exercise temporarily depletes glycogen, a short term energy store, from the brain (after doing so from the muscles and liver). However, light exercise has a positive effect on learning ability. For example, in this article about a school in…
user3291
7
votes
0 answers

Do defensive driving courses reduce car accidents in teenage drivers?

A fairly common claim is that young learner drivers should take defensive driving courses so that they know what to do if they lose control of their car. This comes with the implications it will reduce accidents. Is there any evidence to back up…
user1605665
  • 6,751
  • 6
  • 27
  • 48
7
votes
0 answers

Can sighted people learn to read braille by touch at a level comparable to blind individuals?

I've been told by a friend who works at a school for the blind that no sighted person has ever learned to read braille by touch at the level that is comparable to a literate blind person. Is this true? Many sighted people can read braille fluently…
epimika
  • 316
  • 2
  • 7
5
votes
0 answers

Does raising grading standards improve learning?

A Law College is proposing to raise the required grade average from 5/10 to 7/10 to graduate, claiming that it's going to improve the students overall performance. Are there any studies to support this claim? How grading works in this case Along…
Renan
  • 2,549
  • 5
  • 19
  • 31
5
votes
1 answer

Does drawing diagrams lead to 36% higher scores when solving science problems?

Microsoft claims in their Windows 10 press release that drawing diagrams leads to 36% higher scores when solving science problems. More than 70% of people spend more than one hour a day using a pen. Yet, we lose notes in our notebooks, take…
March Ho
  • 18,688
  • 12
  • 81
  • 109
5
votes
0 answers

Can ultrasound be passed over the skin to be heard by the ear?

The company Skinlearning claims (in German), that one can learn "over the skin" with their uSonic device. Their site says: So können Sie Ihren Lernstoff permanent wiederholen und damit in Ihrem Gedächtnis besser verankern und das ganz einfach…
Schkikli
  • 411
  • 3
  • 6
4
votes
1 answer

Can you generally learn any skill, noticeably well, with 20 hours practice?

I recently watch Josh Kaufman's TEDxCSU talk about his new book, The First 20 Hours. Although his idea sounds reasonable, I coudn't find any mention of scientific research to back it up. I know some research has been done on the 10,000 hour rule. …
yokimbo
  • 51
  • 3
4
votes
1 answer

Does "learning by teaching" have a 90% retention rate?

Studies that claims "learning by teaching" has a 90% retention rate cites a study published by "National Training Laboratories, Behel, Maine". However, that study is not available anywhere to confirm if the methodology applied is reliable. Example…
Renan
  • 2,549
  • 5
  • 19
  • 31
4
votes
0 answers

Is active recall testing more effective than passive study?

A claim made by Anki is that: Research has shown that active recall testing is far more effective at building strong memories than passive study. Definitions (from Anki): Active recall testing: being asked a question and trying to remember the…
user5582
3
votes
1 answer

Does fast feedback result in greater expertise?

There are swathes of blogs and books promoting the notion that we should seek the quickest possible feedback to develop ours skill. The most prominent example I can think of comes from Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow (emphasis mine). The…
Rudi
  • 475
  • 3
  • 11
2
votes
1 answer

Did Christopher Langan learn to speak when he was only 6 months old?

According to this site and many others, Christopher Langan belongs among people with the highest IQ on earth. His IQ is around 195. They also claim: Longan learned to speak when he was only 6 months old and acquired reading ability himself…
Grasper
  • 3,315
  • 2
  • 22
  • 34
1
2
3