Learn by listening to tapes while asleep?

[michfr]

I see some websites selling tapes you listen to while you are asleep to learn Mandarin. I am wondering if anyone has had experience with these kinds of tapes or an opinion about whether they would work.

Thanks.

[malinuo]

I don't remember the source, but I'm pretty sure that method has been checked by researchers. The result was that it doesn't help at all. On the other hand, it doesn't hurt either, unless you have the volume so loud that you cannot sleep.

[roddy]

Also no sources, but I bet it doesn't work. I think there is evidence that we consolidate what we learn during the day while asleep though, and I wouldn't be surprised if leaving a tape running overnight disturbs your sleep enough to actually disrupt that.

[kudra]

Never worked for me. The economic benefits would be so huge, surely if this worked it would be common knowledge by now.

[Shadowdh]

I have tried this with Russian at first and then Chinese... I have to say I think it helps with pronounciation and perhaps memory but this is purely anecdotal and based on very unscientific evidence... the trick is to have the volume at a low enough level to hear but not too loud that it disrupts your sleep... I cant swear it works but it certainly doesnt hurt...

[necroflux]

Actually I would have to strongly agree with Roddy, everything I know about the human mind would tend to support the hypothesis that it needs the silence of sleep to, to use Roddy's word, consolidate everything learned the previous day into long term memory.

Actually, in trying to find a supporting article for you I googled "Effectiveness of language learning during sleep" and came up with this page on the top of the list:

http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/031023/sleep.shtml

“Sleep has at least two separate effects on learning,” the authors wrote. “Sleep consolidates memories, protecting them against subsequent interference or decay. Sleep also appears to ‘recover’ or restore memories.”

If, on the other hand, you were able to master the art of lucid dreaming, you might be able to engage in some language practice in your dream world while still getting the benefits of sleep.

[necroflux]

Apparently the art of studying during sleep is called "hypnopaedia" - and here is a site discussing, you guess it, learning Chinese during sleep. A study found there was some effectiveness:

http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/hypnopaedia/index.htm

It's interesting to note that in this study, they actually gave a third of the students incorrect translations during sleep, another third got correct translations, and a third got music. Then everyone got the correct translations again in a recording the following morning before taking a test. Oddly, those who were given the contradictory incorrect translations during sleep performed the best.

This seems to be the minority opinion, however. A vast majority of material that I am finding supports the claim that "learning while sleeping" is only interrupting your sleep.

[sui.generis]

I see some websites selling tapes you listen to while you are asleep to learn Mandarin. I am wondering if anyone has had experience with these kinds of tapes or an opinion about whether they would work.

I tend to agree with the rest, it won't help you learn the language, but I suspect that listening to chinese tapes while sleeping can help you start smoking.

[RobAnt]

Well, I suppose if it's the last thing you hear before you actually nodd off, it may well be stored in memory - but once you're off, my guess is you're ears are only attuned to things that might be alarming.

So, so long as you actually do sleep, I don't suppose it does much harm.

[Long2John]

Be careful you don't train yourself to fall asleep whenever you are listening to someone speak Chinese.

[Ferno]

If' date=' on the other hand, you were able to master the art of lucid dreaming, you might be able to engage in some language practice in your dream world while still getting the benefits of sleep.

[/quote']

haha, if I could lucid dream, I would be doing much crazier stuff than mandarin practice which wouldn't work anyway - you'd be hearing your version of the language :o

[lau]

try studying for chinese exam for 14h in a row and then you'll see no sound recording is necessary- chinese caharcters keep flashing in the mind whole damn night anyway... with sounds, translations, and god knows what.

i mean, if we'd do it every day, think how much time the poor brain would spend working on it! impressions so strong - whole day- and just before falling asleep from exhaustion!

[Ferno]

then again, your brain might develop an allergic reaction to Chinese :o

[Aristotle]

According to my Psychology 101 teacher, back when I was studying in the US, the consensus in the field is that the brain does absorb the information given to you when you sleep -- it's recorded in your brain much like listening when you're awake. The problem is, you can't seem to retrieve those memories when you're awake.

This makes me think. Maybe listening to Chinese while you sleep helps you talk Chinese when you sleep, just like listening to Chinese when you're awake helps you tak when you're awake!

[leosmith]

Supermemo has answers to this and many other interesting learning questions.(I'm not a salesman - honest! )

http://supermemo.com/articles/sleep.htm#Learning%20during%20sleep

What it essentially says is no, it will only interfere with sleep, which you need to get enough of if you want to optimize your learning. Sorry just to repeat what y'all have said, but this article is pretty interesting.