Topic - Seeing Writing Mistakes. Wonder why Andy keeps making the same mistakes over and over? Why can’t he proofread his work? He’s just so careless about the details. What can I do to help him?
The problem is not just Andy’s. The Pragnanz Syndrome is the culprit.
People of all ages struggle with this because we “see” what we “intended” to write, not what we actually wrote. That’s the Pragnanz Syndrome.
The brain does an “autocorrect” just like a computer. Big surprise there! Where do you think software engineers got the idea to autocorrect spelling and other writing errors?
Help Andy to understand how his brain works. Offer to proofread his work if he’s tired and it’s late.
Ask him to use a notecard to go line by line. If he uses a notecard to help him focus, line by line, on the words instead of the meaning of the sentences, he may “see” his mistakes. Try it yourself!
