In Winter Quarter 2016, I will be teaching PSYC 128: The Psychology of Reading at UCSD.

Course Description: Is it really possible to speed-read the final Harry Potter book in a couple of hours? Why do we hear a little voice in our head reading along with us? How does reading differ across different languages and what aspects of the reading process remain the same no matter what language is being read? This course explores reading behavior and the cognitive processes that support it. We will explore these questions and many more as we learn about the current state of reading research and theory, and consider the research that brought us to this point.

Course Goals: 1) You will gain a better understanding of the reading process—after taking this course, you should be able to describe and connect the multitude of processes that take us from seeing patterns of lines on a page, to having a complete meaning in our head. 2) You will practice reading original research and learn to think critically about both the methods used to study reading and the conclusions that researchers make. 3) You will improve your ability to organize and articulate your ideas both in writing and aloud during class discussions.

Example Topics:
Different types of writing systems
How do we perceive words?
How do we coordinate our eye movements during reading?
How does greater context support word identification?
The role of inner speech (that little voice we hear in our head)
How do we process words and sentences for meaning?
How do we understand stories and discourse?
How do we learn to read and how does reading develop across the lifespan?
Different reading disorders
How does reading change in different tasks (reading for comprehension, proofreading, searching for information)?
Is speed reading possible?