Environmental Pollution and Reading

Abstract

Environment pollution refers to the introduction of stimuli that may divert attention and disorganize one’s focus, resulting in stress. Noise, light, and volume are well-known stressors and have been correlated with reading speed impairment. Increases in these distractors results in slower reading speeds, with negligible effects on reading comprehension. However, some studies report impairments in consonant recognition. This leads to the question; how do we counteract these distractors? Since responsive behaviour depends on an individual and their environment, lowering noise and volume will enhance reading speed. This finding is especially useful in academic settings because studying in silent or white noise surroundings will result in faster reading and allow individuals to allocate the saved time for other tasks.