Drawbacks of Audiobooks for Learning and Cognition

Abstract

This study is about the nature and distinctive features of audiobooks, as well as about the effect of listening as a cognitive practice. The paper investigates and analyzes the different aspects and manifestations of audio media features, of radio as a basis for audiobooks, and of radio in terms of its similarity to ear-reading. Research methods: logical approach to prior research on the evolution of radio and audio media, discursive and desktop analysis of documents, studies and monographs on the psychology of auditory perception; systematic review of research into the characteristics of listening for learning and cognition. Three conclusions can be drawn: first, the growing popularity of audio reading materials results from human nostalgia for “hot” media channels and primeval “orality”; second, a key catalyst in the culture pyramid mediamorphoses of the “post-writing era” is radio which, decades earlier than the computer, simply made possible the emergence of radio’s planetary extension – podcasts on the internet; third, auditory reception has minimal effect in learning, i.e. in the process of acquiring new knowledge and skills. The conclusions refer to the need for heightened attention to the promotion of the benefits of audiobooks for improving the quality of the multimodal culture of reading.