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Speeding Up Videos and Online Classes Saves Time, but Studies Show That Excess Can Reduce Comprehension and Affect Memory, Especially Among Seniors
A common habit among students and consumers of digital content is to speed up playback. Podcasts, online classes, and even informational videos are consumed at faster paces. For many, especially younger individuals, this has become routine.
In California, a survey showed that 89% of students have adjusted the speed of online classes. Various articles also demonstrate how accelerated viewing has become a common practice.
The reason is clear: to save time and consume more content.
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Advantages of Speed, but With Limits
Watching videos at higher speeds can have benefits. It allows viewers to consume more in less time or easily review content.
This can be useful, for example, in an educational environment. Students gain time to study more, complete exercises, or review subjects with more focus.
Additionally, the faster pace can keep the brain more alert. This helps avoid distractions during class or content. However, there is a limit to what the brain can keep up with without detriment.
How the Brain Processes Speech
When we listen to something, the brain goes through three phases: encoding, storage, and retrieval. Encoding is when we understand what has been said. This requires time for the meaning of the words to be comprehended.
Normal speech occurs at about 150 words per minute. Increasing to 300 or even 450 words per minute can still be understandable.
The issue is not hearing, but the ability to retain that information.
Everything we hear enters first into what is called working memory. It organizes the data before sending it to long-term memory.
However, this working memory is limited. If too much information arrives too quickly, it becomes overloaded. The result is simple: we lose part of what we’ve heard.
Study Analyzed 24 Researches on the Topic
A meta-analysis gathered 24 studies on learning through video lessons. In all of them, participants were divided into two groups.
One watched the lesson at normal speed, while the other viewed the same content at accelerated speeds: 1.25x, 1.5x, 2x, and even 2.5x.
Afterward, everyone took the same test. The questions involved multiple choice and direct recall of the content. The results were clear.
The higher the speed, the worse the performance on the tests. Up to 1.5x, the drop was small. But at 2x or more, the negative effect increased.
On average, watching the video at 1.5x reduced scores by 2 percentage points. At 2.5x, the loss reached 17 points.
Age Affects the Result
One of the studies also evaluated adults aged between 61 and 94 years. This group performed weaker at higher speeds compared to younger individuals aged 18 to 36 years.
This may be linked to the natural decline in memory capacity over time. Therefore, the recommendation would be for older individuals to watch videos at normal speed or even slower.
There Are Still Questions Without Answers
Scientists do not know if frequent use of fast playback can mitigate its negative effects. It is possible that younger individuals handle the pace better because they are already accustomed to it.
It is also unclear whether there is a long-term impact. Speeding up may enhance mental ability or, conversely, cause fatigue. Currently, there is no data to prove either scenario.
Finally, even when memory is not heavily affected, the enjoyment of the experience may decrease. And this directly impacts the motivation to continue learning.
With information from Estadão.
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