Subconscious Learning

A technique known as “passive haptic learning” could help you master complex manual skills without even trying. By combining wearable computers with the sensory power of touch, researchers have demonstrated that users can learn Morse code (for example) almost subconsciously as they go about their normal daily routines.

Twelve participants engaged in multiple hour-long sessions of online gaming, during which they wore a pair of Google Glasses programmed to deliver audio signals of words spelled out in Morse code. For half of the participants, the glasses were also equipped with a built-in, bone-conduction transducer that simultaneously delivered tactile “taps” behind the right ear. After each session, the subjects were asked to use Morse code to tap out letters on the smart glasses’ touch pad. At the end of four sessions, they were asked to tap out a sentence that used the entire alphabet. The group that received “audio only” cues achieved only about 47 percent accuracy in typing out the panagram, while those who received both audio and tactile cues demonstrated a proficiency of 94 percent.

In prior studies, the group has also used tactile gloves, which deliver vibrations to the fingertips, to teach piano and Braille with similar results. This suggests that mobile, wearable devices could eventually become important tools for mastering new tasks and skills.