Scientists: accelerated video viewing does not impair the quality of perception

Scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles have found Learning in double time: The effect of lecture video speed on immediate and delayed comprehension: if the playback of lectures is not accelerated more than twice, the material from them is remembered almost as well as when viewed at normal speed. In this case, the summary may not be kept.

To prove their theory, experts conducted an experiment. They invited 231 student volunteers and divided them into four groups: the first included video at normal speed, the rest - with an acceleration of one and a half, two and two and a half times, respectively. Lectures 13-15 minutes long were devoted to the real estate market and the history of the Roman Empire.

After watching, the students were given 20-question quizzes on each topic to test their understanding of the material. As a result, in the group that watched the video at normal speed, participants gave an average of 26 correct answers out of 40, and those that accelerated playback by one and a half and two times - by only one less. True, with an acceleration of two and a half times, perception deteriorated: here, students answered correctly on average 22 questions out of 40.

A week later, the scientists repeated the tests, but changed the questions. As a result, students who watched the video at normal speed scored an average of 24 out of 40. The groups for which the videos were sped up by 1.5 and 2 times answered 21 questions, and by 2.5 times, 20.

The experts also checked whether repeated viewing of the video affects the assimilation of the material. The first group watched the video twice at double speed, the second - once, but at normal speed. The result was the same - 25 points out of 40.

In addition, the scientists invited the students to watch the video at double speed twice, but with a break of a week. Participants in this experiment scored higher than those who watched the video once at normal speed.

The researchers noted that the 1.5- to 2-fold video acceleration approach works with most educational materials. But if the lectures are especially difficult, it's better to watch them at normal speed.