The Origins of Literacy
By ohsohappytogether
The Economist has published a fascinating article on the origins of literacy. It discusses research by a a cognitive neuroscientist that suggests because reading is a relatively new skill in human development, the brain has to unlearn older, more developed survival skills before learning to read. It’s the older skill–the ability to recognize mirror images–that might explain why early readers often confuse “b” and “d”, and “p” and “q.”
