Weitin, Thomas ; Fabian, Thomas ; Glawion, Anastasia ; Brottrager, Judith ; Pilz, Zsofia (2024)
Is badfiction processed differently by the human brain? An electrophysical study on reading experience.
In: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2024, 17
doi: 10.26083/tuprints-00027147
Artikel, Zweitveröffentlichung, Verlagsversion
 | Es ist eine neuere Version dieses Eintrags verfügbar. |
Kurzbeschreibung (Abstract)
Literary reception is a special case of language processing. The judgment of literature reveals deep social patterns with embodied cognition. In this study, we investigate how differences in literary quality resonate in the human brain. Modifying a series of stimuli previously used in studies of the emotional potential of Harry Potter, we alternate passages from the original novels with passages from imitative and intentionally poorly written fanfiction. EEG data shows how the three text types are processed differently by the brain. Comparing the brain activity of the readers for the various text types, we see a difference in the absolute power but not in the relative power of the frequency bands. Reading badfiction evokes the lowest activity. However, the functionality of this activity is the same for all texts since the relative power of the frequency bands does not differ. When comparing the participant groups, we observe the opposite situation. Here, different relative powers of the frequency bands reflect different judgments and reading habits of participants. For example, fans of Harry Potter, regular readers of fantasy texts, and generally frequent readers read the texts more attentively, which is reflected in a pronounced relative activity of the theta and alpha frequency bands. Non-frequent readers and readers who are not devoted to Harry Potter and fantasy in general have increased activity in the delta frequency band. This suggests their saliency detection is more prominent because they are less familiar with reading or the subject matter. To support our findings, we use the EEG data without averaging over stimuli and participants, capturing the participants' responses on the level of individual stimuli. A Kohonen self-organizing map trained on this more extensive data finds reliably detectable differences in the responses to passages from the original Harry Potter novels and fan- and badfiction. Our study allows for an interpretation of an adaptive brain response. Readers who enjoy Harry Potter or have experience with the fantasy genre show different reactions from those who do not. Thus, badfiction appears to be processed differently by the human brain, but not for all readers in the same way.
| Typ des Eintrags: | Artikel |
|---|---|
| Erschienen: | 2024 |
| Autor(en): | Weitin, Thomas ; Fabian, Thomas ; Glawion, Anastasia ; Brottrager, Judith ; Pilz, Zsofia |
| Art des Eintrags: | Zweitveröffentlichung |
| Titel: | Is badfiction processed differently by the human brain? An electrophysical study on reading experience |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Publikationsjahr: | 11 Juni 2024 |
| Ort: | Darmstadt |
| Publikationsdatum der Erstveröffentlichung: | 26 Januar 2024 |
| Ort der Erstveröffentlichung: | Lausanne |
| Verlag: | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| Titel der Zeitschrift, Zeitung oder Schriftenreihe: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| Jahrgang/Volume einer Zeitschrift: | 17 |
| Kollation: | 14 Seiten |
| DOI: | 10.26083/tuprints-00027147 |
| URL / URN: | https://tuprints.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/27147 |
| Zugehörige Links: | |
| Herkunft: | Zweitveröffentlichung DeepGreen |
| Kurzbeschreibung (Abstract): | Literary reception is a special case of language processing. The judgment of literature reveals deep social patterns with embodied cognition. In this study, we investigate how differences in literary quality resonate in the human brain. Modifying a series of stimuli previously used in studies of the emotional potential of Harry Potter, we alternate passages from the original novels with passages from imitative and intentionally poorly written fanfiction. EEG data shows how the three text types are processed differently by the brain. Comparing the brain activity of the readers for the various text types, we see a difference in the absolute power but not in the relative power of the frequency bands. Reading badfiction evokes the lowest activity. However, the functionality of this activity is the same for all texts since the relative power of the frequency bands does not differ. When comparing the participant groups, we observe the opposite situation. Here, different relative powers of the frequency bands reflect different judgments and reading habits of participants. For example, fans of Harry Potter, regular readers of fantasy texts, and generally frequent readers read the texts more attentively, which is reflected in a pronounced relative activity of the theta and alpha frequency bands. Non-frequent readers and readers who are not devoted to Harry Potter and fantasy in general have increased activity in the delta frequency band. This suggests their saliency detection is more prominent because they are less familiar with reading or the subject matter. To support our findings, we use the EEG data without averaging over stimuli and participants, capturing the participants' responses on the level of individual stimuli. A Kohonen self-organizing map trained on this more extensive data finds reliably detectable differences in the responses to passages from the original Harry Potter novels and fan- and badfiction. Our study allows for an interpretation of an adaptive brain response. Readers who enjoy Harry Potter or have experience with the fantasy genre show different reactions from those who do not. Thus, badfiction appears to be processed differently by the human brain, but not for all readers in the same way. |
| Freie Schlagworte: | neurocognitive poetics, neuroaesthetics, neuroliterature, fanfiction, EEG, reading experiment, literature perception, cognitive humanities |
| ID-Nummer: | Artikel-ID: 1333965 |
| Status: | Verlagsversion |
| URN: | urn:nbn:de:tuda-tuprints-271471 |
| Zusätzliche Informationen: | This article is part of the Research Topic: Neurocomputational Models of Language Processing Sec. Speech and Language |
| Sachgruppe der Dewey Dezimalklassifikatin (DDC): | 100 Philosophie und Psychologie > 150 Psychologie 400 Sprache > 400 Sprache, Linguistik 800 Literatur > 800 Literatur, Rhetorik, Literaturwissenschaft |
| Fachbereich(e)/-gebiet(e): | 02 Fachbereich Gesellschafts- und Geschichtswissenschaften 02 Fachbereich Gesellschafts- und Geschichtswissenschaften > Institut für Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |
| Hinterlegungsdatum: | 11 Jun 2024 11:45 |
| Letzte Änderung: | 19 Jun 2024 13:25 |
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| Suche nach Titel in: | TUfind oder in Google |
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- Is badfiction processed differently by the human brain? An electrophysical study on reading experience. (deposited 11 Jun 2024 11:45) [Gegenwärtig angezeigt]
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