Active-passive paradigm in assessing CCTV-aided reading

Six male and seven female English-speaking university students, with corrected vision of 20/20 (6/6), were trained using the closed circuit television system (CCTV) as a reading aid. This was an attempt to identify the essential factors in CCTV-aided reading. Active and passive observers were trained in pairs, with the passive observer being the yoked control of the active observer. The control participants were trained alone using the same reading material without the use of a CCTV. All participants used material from the Thurstone Reading Kit throughout the five training sessions and were given a pre- and postreading test to assess the increase in reading speed measured in words per minute (WPM). The active observers increased their reading speed to a greater extent than the passive observers, and the passive observers to a greater extent than the control participants. Suggestions are made pertaining to future experimentation and use of the CCTV.