Page 18 - Delaware Lawyer - Summer 2020

FEATURE
First, reading on paper, readers often remember where an argument, idea or authority physically appeared in a paper text — both on a page and how far within the printed brief or motion.8 “For instance, we might re- call that the majority opinion stated its holding in the right-hand corner at the top of the page below headnote five.” But, “in contrast, digital text gives far fewer physical cues to the reader.”9 This facilitates both compre- hension and recall. Thus, the lack of a tactile page may mean that the screen reader has less recall of specific ideas, facts or arguments from a brief or motion.
The same lack of spatial orientation is true in a broader sense: when reading a paper brief, you can tell by the num- ber of pages how far you have gone and what remains. That sense of loca- tion or place can be lost when reading on a screen, particularly if the device does not present the text as traditional “pages” of text.10 Similarly, if clicking on a footnote link “takes” the reader to another portion of the file, and then back again, that can cause further dis- orientation. This takes mental energy to remain focused.
The lack of physical paper causes
other problems that inhibit communi- cation. While it is possible to annotate screen-based texts, readers who are ac- customed to underlining or drawing diagrams or other basic notes in the text (e.g., “good point!”) are not able to do so. We each often read with a pen in hand to mark up text to further our understanding of it. The decreased ability to do so interferes with compre- hending the text.11
DRAWBACK #3: The Screen Itself Contains the Distractions
Are you reading the words on the screen? External stimuli, like traffic noises from a nearby open window or conversation in the background, can distract the reader. As many of us work from home, we may encounter new distractions that affect our reading process. Even when reading paper, the phone, the tablet and the computer are often within hand’s reach.
So how can screen reading be more distracting? The distraction, of course, is in-hand. Studies suggest that con- trary to popular belief, we are not great at multitasking.12 As we toggle from screen to screen, information from the text is lost or forgotten. When the same device that has the text has the distractions, the temptation to look away is even greater.
Our first suggestion is to print out materials that are critical to your brief or motion and
read those materials on paper.
Why and How You Should Improve Your Screen Reading
We described three drawbacks of screen reading compared to paper- based text. But perhaps the most im- portant point is that we are often unaware of these problems. Instead, screen “readers consistently overesti- mated their reading comprehension. Paper readers were more accurate in their self-judgments.”13 That differ- ence is critical because the reader may not recognize that in fact more effort is needed to screen read: “people who overestimate their abilities are likely to put in less effort. The less effort a per- son puts into a reading passage, the less they are likely to comprehend. That’s because reading comprehension, like all learning, isn’t easy and requires work.”14 And, perhaps more worri- some than all of this, one study showed screen readers — despite the fact that they have lower reading comprehen- sion — take less time to read.15 The screen reader needs to not only recog- nize these drawbacks but compensate for them by altering his or her reading practices.
Our first suggestion is to print out materials that are critical to your brief or motion and read those materials on paper. Given the deficiencies of screen
16 DELAWARE LAWYER SUMMER 2020