while gray matter doesn't, which efficiently allows neural impulses to move swiftly along the fiber. The myelin sheath isn't fully formed until around ages 24–26. This means that adolescents and young adults typically learn differently, and subsequently often utilize visual aids in order to help them better comprehend difficult subjects. Learning preferences can vary across a wide spectrum. Specifically, within the realm of visual learning, they can vary between people who prefer being given learning instructions with text as opposed to those who prefer being given instructions with graphics. College students were tested in general factors like learning preference and spatial ability (being able to be proficient in creating, holding, and manipulating spatial representations). The study determined that college-age individuals report efficient learning styles and learning preferences for themselves individually. These personal assessments have proved accurate, meaning that self-ratings of factors such as spatial ability and learning preference can be effective measures of how well one learns visually. Gender differences Studies have indicated that adolescents learn best through 10 various styles; reading, manipulative activity, teacher explanation, auditory stimulation, visual demonstration, visual stimulation (electronic), visual stimulation (just pictures), games, social interaction, and personal experience. According to the study, young adult males demonstrate a preference for learning through activities they are able to manipulate, and young adult females show a greater preference for learning through teacher notes visually or using graphs, and through reading. This suggests that Women are more visually stimulated, interested in information that they can have physical direct control over. Men, on the other hand, learn best through reading information and having it explained in an auditory fashion. Lack of evidence Although learning styles have "enormous popularity", and both children and adults express personal preferences, there is no evidence that identifying a student's learning style produces better outcomes, and there is significant evidence that the widely touted "meshing hypothesis" (that a student will learn best if taught in a method deemed appropriate for that student's learning style) is invalid. Well-designed studies "flatly contradict the popular meshing hypothesis". Rather than targeting instruction to the "right" learning style, students appear to benefit most from mixed modality presentations, for instance using both auditory and visual techniques for all students. See also Learning styles Auditory learning Kinesthetic learning References External links Articles and resources about the visual learning style for students and instructors More tips for visual learners Learning methods Infographics Information technology