Can you distinguish between people who are visual or auditory learners?

Short answer

No – learning style does not affect learning outcomes.

Longer answer

Many people have a favorite way to learn new information – a personal learning style. Some like to read or imagine new things; others might prefer to listen to new information or learn by doing. Therefore, it is not too surprising that people believe they learn better when new information is delivered in the way they prefer. This idea was put to the test.

Experiment

Scientists asked a large group of students if they thought they learned better when reading or listening. Then the students were separated into two groups, and asked to study for a test. One group was given study material presented in a way students reported to work the best for them, and the other group had to study in the way they did not prefer. However, when the results came in, there was no difference in the test performance!

Conclusion

Similar experiments have been repeated many times across different countries, levels of education, and teaching methods. They all found the same result: learning style does not influence learning outcome. So, whilst you might enjoy reading more than listening, this does not mean you will also learn better by reading.

Brain areas

While you might find these results surprising, looking at how learning and memory work in the brain helps us make sense of it. There are specific parts in the brain that process information from different senses such as seeing, hearing, smelling and touching. However, learning and memory in the brain is not so simple. Information from different senses is usually combined in order to form a long-lasting memory. In your brain, memories consist of connections between these different parts of the brain associated with all the different senses.

What does matter?

You might still be wondering, if learning styles do not work, why do we still get the feeling that we prefer some methods of learning, and why do we seem to naturally excel in certain subjects? If not learning styles, do we know what really influences our learning outcomes? Research has found some learning factors that do show an influence on learning outcomes. These factors include: student’s personal motivation, interest in the topic, and level of prior knowledge.