Human speech may have a universal transmission rate: 39 bits per second
But, he says, instead of being limited by how quickly we can process information by listening, we’re likely limited by how quickly we can gather our thoughts. That’s because, he says, the average person can listen to audio recordings sped up to about 120%—and still have no problems with comprehension.Some years ago I worked on an accessibility project for an app and website designed for people with disabilities. One of the team members had low vision, and used a screen reader that must have been set to 3x or even higher. I usually listen to YouTube and podcasts at 1.5-2x and I could barely understand the audio. He seemed surprised, which indicated to me that 3x+ was the norm for people in his circle.I wonder if his ability was trained through years of using fast screen readers, vs. a lower visual processing load leads to better audio processing, or some other explanation.