8 February 2013
Are books on the way out?
According to new research older people could benefit from using e-readers or tablets rather than traditionally printed pages as they place less strain on the eyes.
The researchers tracked the brain activity and eye movements of 36 younger participants aged between 21-34 and 21 older adults over the age of 60 as they read from books, e-readers and tablet computers.
Among the younger group there was no change in brain activity or reading time for the three mediums but older participants had more difficulty reading from printed pages. It was found
that older people can read the same text more quickly and with less effort when on an electronic device.
The least amount of effort was needed to use tablet computers and the older group to finish reading 3 to 4 seconds faster. However, when questioned which device they preferred to read from, traditional books were twice as popular compared to their electronic counterparts.