Does AI Authorship Undermine Reader Engagement?

Imagine reading a compelling short story—now imagine being told it was written by AI. Would it feel the same? This question lies at the heart of two recent experiments investigating AI authorship and its impact on narrative transportation (Messingschlager & Appel, 2024), the psychological immersion readers experience while engaging with a story.

Study overview

As AI-generated content becomes increasingly prevalent, understanding how readers emotionally respond to AI-written stories has become more crucial than ever. In the first experiment of this investigation, Messingschlager and Appel (2024) examined how the belief that a story was authored by either an AI or a human influenced readers’ experiences. In Experiment 1, participants were randomly assigned to read a brief author biography indicating either a human or AI author, followed by a contemporary fiction story—all of which were actually written by humans. After reading, participants rated: 1) Narrative transportation; 2) Eeriness (a sense of discomfort or uncanniness); 3) Willingness to share the story with others; 4) Openness to experience and affinity for technology. Experiment 2 extended this design by incorporating both contemporary fiction and science fiction stories to examine whether genre influences the impact of perceived AI authorship.

Findings

In Experiment 1, the results revealed that narrative transportation significantly declined when readers believed the story was authored by AI. Interestingly, and contrary to expectations, AI authorship made the story feel less eerie, rather than more. Additionally, participants’ willingness to share the story was unaffected by the perceived authorship. Individual differences (i.e., openness to experience and technological affinity) did not moderate the effects of AI authorship on transportation, eeriness, or sharing intentions. While greater openness was associated with higher transportation and willingness to share overall, it did not buffer against the reduced engagement caused by AI attribution. 

In Experiment 2, the main finding was replicated: for contemporary fiction, perceived AI authorship again reduced narrative transportation. However, when it came to science fiction, no significant difference emerged between the AI and human author conditions. This suggests that genre plays a crucial role. Readers may view AI as a more legitimate or credible author within the science fiction genre—possibly because of the genre’s inherent association with technology and futurism. In this context, AI authorship may feel more fitting or even advantageous.

Disclaimer

This blog post is based on scientific research and is intended solely for public awareness.

For detailed information, please refer to the original article.

Messingschlager, T. V., & Appel, M. (2024). Creative artificial intelligence and narrative transportation. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 18(5), 848-857. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000495 

Can Watching Fictional TV Series Boost Social Cognition?

You’ve likely heard the common belief that reading fiction is beneficial, while watching TV series is often dismissed as unproductive. But what about fictional TV series? Could they have a positive impact on empathy and theory of mind compared to non-fictional documentaries? Researchers Lenhart and Richter (2024) explored this question through a series of experiments to determine whether fictional TV series, which depict human lives and inner experiences, could enhance these cognitive and emotional abilities.

Study overview

In the first two studies, with a combined total of 366 participants, university-aged students were randomly assigned to watch either fictional TV series (3 episodes in total) or documentary series (3 episodes in total). These sessions were spread over a period of seven days (Study 1) and five days with a follow-up tests (Study 2). Participants' empathy and theory of mind were evaluated both before and after viewing the content, using established measures such as the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). 

The third study involved 46 university-aged students in a controlled lab setting. Participants watched an increased number of episodes—five fictional TV series episodes or six documentary episodes—across four sessions over 7 to 10 days. Empathy was measured using the IRI as both a pre- and post-test, while theory of mind was evaluated using both the RMET and the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition as pre- and post-tests.

Findings

Across all three studies, researchers found no statistically significant improvement in empathy or theory of mind for participants who watched fictional TV series compared to those who watched non-fictional documentaries. These studies highlight the need for further research into the potential cognitive and emotional impacts of fictional TV series. 

For detailed information, please refer to the original article.

Lenhart, J., & Richter, T. (2024). Does Watching Fictional TV Series Increase Social-Cognitive Skills? Scientific Study of Literature. https://doi.org/10.61645/ssol.184

Picture Credit.

Family Television by Nick Banks

Does Language Affect Fiction Transportation?

We love reading fiction. It allows us to escape reality and become fully immersed in another world. While reading, we often lose track of time, mimic the emotions of the characters, focus intently on the story, and place ourselves in the characters' shoes. This deep engagement is known as "narrative transportation," where we feel as if we are spectators within the story.

This raises an interesting question: does the language we read in affect our level of transportation? Some of us read fiction in our native language, while others prefer to read in a second language. Do both groups experience the same level of being transported? Are they equally drawn into the story, or does the language (native vs. non-native) influence their experience? To answer these questions, Chung-Fat-Yim et al. (2019) conducted an experiment (Experiment 1).

Study overview

Chung-Fat-Yim et al. studied 143 adult participants, including 87 native English speakers and 56 non-native English speakers. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of two short stories provided by the researchers. The stories featured a student pursuing an academic goal, with one version ending in success and the other in failure.

After the reading sessions, participants completed a validated scale to rate their level of transportation. They answered questions on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from ‘Not at all’ to ‘Very much’. Sample questions included: “While reading the narrative, I could easily picture the events taking place,” “The narrative affected me emotionally,” and “I was mentally involved in the narrative while reading it.”

Findings

According to the data from the study, researchers suggest that both native and non-native readers experience the same level of transportation while reading fiction. In other words, regardless of whether one is a native or non-native speaker, it appears that narrative transportation can be achieved equally. They also discovered that years of English fluency did not strongly relate to narrative transportation, even after controlling for age.

Surprisingly, this effect held true across different modalities. Participants in both the native and non-native groups experienced similar levels of transportation when exposed to auditory stories (Experiment 2) or films (Experiment 3).

For detailed information, please refer to the original article.

Chung-Fat-Yim, A., Cilento, E., Piotrowska, E., & Mar, R. A. (2019). Are stories just as transporting when not in your native tongue? Language and Cognition, 11(2), 285-309. https://doi.org/10.1017/langcog.2019.15

Picture Credit.

"Girl reading book" by Fatima Karashaeva