ach Christmas I buy the Private Eye annual (an English satirical magazine) only to be slightly disappointed when much of the humor falls flat, yet I can watch the TV current affairs quiz “Have I Got News for You’ featuring its editor and be reduced to tears of laughter. Being at a live recording of the show is even more powerful. Why is this? Why is the experience and effect so different? Is it just the sense of occasion when I go to a live show or is there something more to shared experience? We appear to learn more from lectures delivered in person than reading the lecturer’s book, or even watching the same lecture recorded on video. Studies show children who are read to by their parents do better than if they are left to follow along with a CD. Two groups of children were tested on two made-up words used in a story. The children read to by their parents had an 80% recall rate, while children who followed the CD only 17%. This is a big disparity. The simplest explanation is that the children who were read to pay more attention. Are there other effects? t «@ rake a i d oy Md emer eS \s if ” : 2 4% te oo We 3 ia Xs r | ee tae ns ARS $a ad- a os v x. ne \ é apy ene Be ‘a oe en Mi Ss s i * GY hea, > SEs we ‘ f- 4 f et so hal Pd re ae] ya . a ag 7 Per a v i “~~ BB ~~ v —. a. G ’ f we a = f } - b - a? 2 Re Mah ou 4 nF + 4 ‘KO. SE rs Give * 2 a ey i SVS Sh. ' . 7 ' pa ip ese Alf = 5 a i e “- oe ie ‘s “~ \ i ‘ ‘ FS, | : Lp - ™ = a A 2 y , ee ne mi he ay eae 7 Atte .' Plcsgrg e tr, IMAX HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015977