<p>I think your intuition might be correct. According to <a href="http://www.psychologicalscience.org/journals/pspi/PSPI_9_3.pdf">Hal Pashler</a>, there is no real evidence for learning styles. The authors do not state that one particular learning style is applicable to everyone. Instead, they conclude that a particular subject may have a preferred learning style. For example, essay writing would have a preferred "verbal" learning style.</p>

<p><strong>Source</strong></p>

<p>Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence by Pashler et al.<em>Psychlogical Science in the Public Interest</em>. Volume 9.3 (2008).</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-15T04:46:56.487Z
2013-08-15T04:46:56.487Z
NebulousReveal
<p>Do people tend to have one pronounced sense (i.e., there is high variability in how strong the auditory, visual, olfactory etc. perception is among people)  and can
this sense, once identified, be exploited in both beneficial (e.g., targeted/adaptive learning/teaching) and manipulative (e.g., sales negotiations) ways?</p>

<p>My intuition doubts the effectiveness, but perhaps there is empirical evidence.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-15T08:24:22.183Z
My answer would also be **no** for the same reasons I articulate on [this previous learning styles question](http://cogsci.stackexchange.com/a/3333/52) (not a duplicate question)
Jeromy Anglim
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-15T09:43:02.040Z
Could you motivate a bit where this question is coming from? Seems interesting though!
Steven Jeuris
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-15T10:24:09.647Z
I've seen the recommendation that a student identify his/her 'learning sense' in many study-help websites, pamphlets, and even textbooks. I've always been skeptical about it.
Wuschelbeutel Kartoffelhuhn
<social-psychology><learning><sensation>
Does identifying a student's sensory learning style and exploiting it result in significantly better performance?
Wuschelbeutel Kartoffelhuhn
# Does identifying a student's sensory learning style and exploiting it result in significantly better performance?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-08-15)

Do people tend to have one pronounced sense (i.e., there is high variability in how strong the auditory, visual, olfactory etc. perception is among people) and can
this sense, once identified, be exploited in both beneficial (e.g., targeted/adaptive learning/teaching) and manipulative (e.g., sales negotiations) ways?

My intuition doubts the effectiveness, but perhaps there is empirical evidence.

**Tags:** social-psychology, learning, sensation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: My answer would also be **no** for the same reasons I articulate on [this previous learning styles question](http://cogsci.stackexchange.com/a/3333/52) (not a duplicate question)  
> **username_2**: Could you motivate a bit where this question is coming from? Seems interesting though!  
> **username_0**: I've seen the recommendation that a student identify his/her 'learning sense' in many study-help websites, pamphlets, and even textbooks. I've always been skeptical about it.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2013-08-15. Score: 10 | Accepted answer

I think your intuition might be correct. According to [Hal Pashler](http://www.psychologicalscience.org/journals/pspi/PSPI_9_3.pdf), there is no real evidence for learning styles. The authors do not state that one particular learning style is applicable to everyone. Instead, they conclude that a particular subject may have a preferred learning style. For example, essay writing would have a preferred "verbal" learning style.

**Source**

Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence by Pashler et al.*Psychlogical Science in the Public Interest*. Volume 9.3 (2008).


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