The SR-related brain-activation pattern occurs only in readers highly familiar with Harry Potter; low-familiarity readers show no significant differences¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q3
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? There was a significant interaction between Scenario Type and HP familiarity at the left MFG, with the high-familiarity group showing higher activation for SR than RR and for SR than SF, and the low-familiarity group showing no significant differences. → Xiaodong Xu 2025
Evidence¶
Xiaodong Xu 2025¶
Xiaodong Xu, Cheng Jia, Kang Chen & Lijuan Chen. (2025). Unveiling the neural mechanisms of supernatural fiction comprehension using fNIRS. npj Science of Learning. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00327-0
q3 · i? · causal · r2
Follow-up emmeans analysis of the significant Scenario Type × HP familiarity interaction at left MFG [CH1: χ2 = 15.2, df = 2, pFDR < 0.001] in the 61-participant fNIRS experiment, comparing the high- (n = 30) and low-familiarity (n = 31) groups.
"the high-familiarity group showed significantly higher activation during the reading of SR compared to RR [ t(118) = 3.99, β = 0.884, pFDR < 0.001] and higher activation during the reading of SR compared to SF [t(118) = 3.85, β = 0.852, pFDR < 0.001]. In contrast, the low-familiarity group did not exhibit significant activation differences in any comparisons."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Increased inter-hemispheric functional connectivity during supernatural reading appears only in high-familiarity readers and is absent in low-familiarity readers — related
- Readers highly familiar with Harry Potter rate all scenarios as more supernatural than low-familiarity readers — related
- Reading supernatural scenarios with realistic characters also activates left preCG, poCG and MFG more than realistic scenarios with realistic characters — related
- Reading supernatural scenarios with unexpected realistic characters activates the left preCG, poCG and IFG more than reading supernatural scenarios with fictional characters — related
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by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-27 |
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