Scientific Study of Literature - Volume 11, Issue 2, 2021

Although several measures of reading engagement (e.g., absorption, immersion) have been developed in recent years, the possibility that they reflect different constructs has not been systematically examined. The present study investigated two factorially independent forms of reading engagement measured by the Absorption-Like States Questionnaire (ASQ; Kuiken & Douglas, 2017, 2018). We examined whether (a) expressive enactment (ASQ-EE) and integrative comprehension (ASQ-IC) differentially predict aesthetic, explanatory, and pragmatic reading outcomes; (b) whether the components and outcomes of ASQ-EE and ASQ-IC differ from those of another measure of reading engagement (the Story World Absorption Scale, SWAS; Kuijpers et al., 2014), and (c) whether ASQ-EE and ASQ-IC are differentially related to two measures of trait openness to experience: the Tellegen Absorption Scale (Tellegen & Atkinson, 1974) and the Big Five Aspects Scale for Openness/Intellect; DeYoung et al., 2007).

Empirical research on the differences between digital and print reading has recently increased, mainly concentrating on informational texts while disregarding literary texts. Concerning narrative fiction, the existing quantitative studies have found no or very few differences between reading printed books and e-books. In our focus group study, we amplify the perspective on digital and print book reading through a largely explorative approach. The results gained by interviewing 34 habitual readers of e-books in six groups show that e-books complement rather than replace printed books. Crucial differences can be found in the dimensions of the reading situation, genre selection, purpose of reading, as well as literary quality and status of the text. Furthermore, our results shed new light on the importance of the printed book as an individual material object, with its own specific iconicity and with notable consequences for intellectual possession, memory, and remembrance of read books and lived reading experiences.

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.

Absorption has proven to be an important mediator of reading enjoyment and persuasive text effects (Green & Brock, 2000; Kuijpers et al., 2014). Typically, absorbing experiences with narrative media are captured using self-report measuring instruments. One such instrument is the Story World Absorption Scale, which is comprised of four dimensions: Attention, Emotional Engagement, Mental Imagery, and Transportation (Kuijpers et al., 2014). As of yet, we do not know how these dimensions relate to one another. Data from four different studies (one survey and three experiments) using the Story World Absorption Scale were investigated with the use of structural equation modeling to attempt to answer this question. The results show that attention fulfills a crucial role in the absorption experience confirming the work of Kuiken and Douglas (2017, 2018) on absorption-like states. The findings inspire a discussion on how we (should) use multi-dimensional instruments in the field of empirical literary studies.