The effects of reading narrative fiction on social and moral cognition: two experiments following a multi-method approach
Wimmer, L. and Currie, G. and Friend, Stacie (2022) The effects of reading narrative fiction on social and moral cognition: two experiments following a multi-method approach. Scientific Study of Literature , ISSN 2210-4372.
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Abstract
We present two experiments examining the effects of reading narrative fiction (vs. narrative non-fiction vs. expository non-fiction) on social and moral cognition, using a battery of self-report, explicit and implicit indicators. Experiment 1 (N=340) implemented a pre-registered, randomized between-groups design, and assessed multiple outcomes after a short reading assignment. Results failed to reveal any differences between the three reading conditions on either social or moral cognition. Experiment 2 employed a longitudinal design. N=104 participants were randomly assigned to read an entire book over seven days. Outcome variables were assessed before and after the reading assignment as well as at a one-week follow-up. Results did not show any differential development between the three reading conditions over time. The present results do not support the claim that reading narrative fiction is apt to improve our general social and moral cognition.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keyword(s) / Subject(s): | fiction, narrative, social cognition, empathy, morality |
| School: | Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Historical Studies |
| Depositing User: | Stacie Friend |
| Date Deposited: | 13 Apr 2022 11:54 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Aug 2023 18:15 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/47638 |
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