Opening the closed mind? Effects of reading literary fiction on need for closure and creativity.
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| Title: | Opening the closed mind? Effects of reading literary fiction on need for closure and creativity. |
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| Authors: | Wimmer, Lena (AUTHOR), Currie, Gregory (AUTHOR), Friend, Stacie (AUTHOR), Ferguson, Heather J (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Creativity Research Journal. Jan-Mar2024, Vol. 36 Issue 1, p24-41. 18p. |
| Subjects: | Fiction, Oral interpretation, Divergent thinking, Openness to experience, Creative ability, Nonfiction |
| Abstract: | Although philosophers have long claimed that reading fiction has the potential to improve imaginative capacities, empirical evidence on this topic is limited. We report an experiment that aims to conceptually replicate and extend previous work by Djikic and colleagues by testing whether reading literary fiction reduces the need for closure, and by testing for the first time whether it enhances openness to experience, cognitive complexity, imaginability, and divergent thinking. We also examined whether a potential fiction-based impact depends on previous exposure to print fiction or nonfiction. In a between-subjects design, N = 111 higher education students were randomly assigned to read either two literary fiction short stories or two nonfictional essays. Outcome variables were assessed after the reading assignments using a battery of questionnaire-based and behavioral indicators. The two groups of readers did not differ on any outcome measure, and results were not influenced by lifetime exposure to written fiction or nonfiction. Taken together, the current findings do not support the assumption that reading literary fiction increases imaginative capacities or related outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Creativity Research Journal is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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