Bookworms versus nerds: Exposure to Wction versus non-Wction, divergent associations with social ability, and the simulation of Wctional social worlds

While frequent readers are often stereotyped as socially awkward, this may only be true of non-Wction readers and not readers of Wction. Comprehending characters in a narrative Wction appears to parallel the comprehension of peers in the actual world, while the comprehension of expository non-Wction shares no such parallels. Frequent Wction readers may thus bolster or maintain their social abilities unlike frequent readers of non-Wction. Lifetime exposure to Wction and non-Wction texts was examined along with performance on empathy/social-acumen measures. In general, Wction print-exposure positively predicted measures of social ability, while non-Wction print-exposure was a negative predictor. The tendency to become absorbed in a story also predicted empathy scores. Participant age, experience with English, and intelligence (g) were statistically controlled.  2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.