Book contents
- The Perks of Being a Bookworm
- The Perks of Being a Bookworm
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Part IFoundations
- Part IIReading-Driven General Cognitive Enhancement
- Part IIIReading-Driven Enhanced Vision
- Chapter 5Visual Discrimination
- Chapter 6Visual Recognition
- Chapter 7Visual Attention
- Part IVReading-Driven Enhanced Memory
- Part VReading-Driven Enhanced Spoken Language
- Part VIReading-Driven Enhanced Reasoning
- Part VIIConclusion and Outlook
- References
- Index
- References
Chapter 5 - Visual Discrimination
Literacy Enhances Keeping Mirror Images Apart
from Part III - Reading-Driven Enhanced Vision
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 IFoundations
- Part IIReading-Driven General Cognitive Enhancement
- Part IIIReading-Driven Enhanced Vision
- Chapter 5Visual Discrimination
- Chapter 6Visual Recognition
- Chapter 7Visual Attention
- Part IVReading-Driven Enhanced Memory
- Part VReading-Driven Enhanced Spoken Language
- Part VIReading-Driven Enhanced Reasoning
- Part VIIConclusion and Outlook
- References
- Index
- References
Summary
Learning to read any script requires paying close attention to the orientation of the character because it is a crucial part of what defines it. Learners of any script therefore get extensive practice of some of the skills that underlie mirror image discrimination. Proficient and automatic mirror discrimination abilities, however, only develop when the reader learns to read a script with mirror characters such as English. Thus, learning to read in general, and learning to read a script with mirror letters specifically, enhances visual discrimination skills.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Perks of Being a BookwormThe Science of the Benefits of Reading, pp. 65 - 84Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
References
Further Reading
Fernandes, T., Arunkumar, M., & Huettig, F. (2021). The role of the written script in shaping mirror-image discrimination: Evidence from illiterate, Tamil literate, and Tamil-Latin-alphabet bi-literate adults. Cognition, 206, 104493.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pegado, F., Nakamura, K., Cohen, L., & Dehaene, S. (2011). Breaking the symmetry: Mirror discrimination for single letters but not for pictures in the Visual Word Form Area. Neuroimage, 55(2), 742–749.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rollenhagen, J. E., & Olson, C. R. (2000). Mirror-image confusion in single neurons of the macaque inferotemporal cortex. Science, 287(5457), 1506–1508.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
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