Book contents
- The Perks of Being a Bookworm
- The Perks of Being a Bookworm
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Part I Foundations
- Part II Reading-Driven General Cognitive Enhancement
- Part III Reading-Driven Enhanced Vision
- Part IV Reading-Driven Enhanced Memory
- Chapter 8 Long- and Short-Term Memory
- Chapter 9 Memory Resilience
- Part V Reading-Driven Enhanced Spoken Language
- Part VI Reading-Driven Enhanced Reasoning
- Part VII Conclusion and Outlook
- References
- Index
- References
Chapter 8 - Long- and Short-Term Memory
Literacy Enhances Storing, Maintaining, Manipulating, and Retrieving Information
from Part IV - Reading-Driven Enhanced Memory
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 April 2026
Book contents
- The Perks of Being a Bookworm
- The Perks of Being a Bookworm
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Part I Foundations
- Part II Reading-Driven General Cognitive Enhancement
- Part III Reading-Driven Enhanced Vision
- Part IV Reading-Driven Enhanced Memory
- Chapter 8 Long- and Short-Term Memory
- Chapter 9 Memory Resilience
- Part V Reading-Driven Enhanced Spoken Language
- Part VI Reading-Driven Enhanced Reasoning
- Part VII Conclusion and Outlook
- References
- Index
- References
Summary
Reading leads to the development of an extensive and sophisticated vocabulary, which increases the size, complexity, and interconnectivity of information stored in long-term memory. Frequent reading helps maintain this stored information and supports efficient retrieval. In addition, reading enhances short-term memory skills, particularly the ability to actively manipulate temporary information in working memory.
Keywords
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Perks of Being a BookwormThe Science of the Benefits of Reading, pp. 117 - 132Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
References
Further Reading
Demoulin, C., & Kolinsky, R. (2016). Does learning to read shape verbal working memory? Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 23, 703–722.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Silva, C., Faísca, L., Ingvar, M., Petersson, K. M., & Reis, A. (2012). Literacy: Exploring working memory systems. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 34(4), 369–377.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smalle, E. H., Szmalec, A., Bogaerts, L., Page, M. P., Narang, V., Misra, D., … & Huettig, F. (2019). Literacy improves short-term serial recall of spoken verbal but not visuospatial items: Evidence from illiterate and literate adults. Cognition, 185, 144–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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