IT
is not the ‘COLOR’ background that controls the reading of many dyslexic and
other people.
In this blog I have tried to put down many of my
experiences in helping dyslexic adults and people who find reading ‘hard work.
I have also tried to put it in the context of the theories and hypotheses that
abound in reading.
I have to some extent fallen into the trap of writing
about my work using mental constructs /ideas/language that really get in the
way of the explanations.
I write of…… color background and reading,
…… font size and reading
I write of……Reading speed
……Reading
performance
I really want to write about the Biology of reading.
On a computer
screen, when we change the background screen settings; all we really do is
change the rate at which red, green and blue absorbing pigment molecules are
able to capture photons and release electrons.
These electrons ultimately give rise to a burst of ‘waves of
depolarisations’ (nerve impulses) which
supply ‘digital’ data allowing ‘edge detection and the ability for our visual cortex
to discriminate between edges in the visual scene, the edges/ lines and nodes
which we call letters on the page.
If the image stays
static, the eye is not moving relative to the letters, then the data stops being
sent.
Since the eye is
continually moving as it ‘takes its pictures,’ the digital data has to be
detailed enough, accurate enough and coordinated with data on the ‘movement’
for the visual cortex to compute for us a clear image such that the reading speed
we achieve is fast enough for us to enjoy, understand the ideas being conveyed
by the word sequence.
Changing the relative stimulation of the red and green
cone cells, by changing the red and green component of the light from the
background pixels, has to change the ‘rate’ at which the nerve impulses arrive
at the visual cortex or we would not ‘notice any color change’.
It is only change in impulse frequency that ever changes.
The impulses are all the same size.
So for each person there has to be a mathematical
relationship between the red/green balance and the rate of data transfer from
eye to ‘brain’/visual cortex. There has
to be a particular ratio/balance which sends the highest amount of data.
Is this what affects crowding and visual attention span
and ultimately the development of automaticity reading fluency/performance and attention?
