Readers highly familiar with Harry Potter rate all scenarios as more supernatural than low-familiarity readers¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Online supernaturalness ratings showed a significant main effect of familiarity, with high-familiarity participants rating all scenario types significantly higher than low-familiarity participants. → 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

Linear mixed-effects analysis of online supernaturalness ratings in the 61-participant experiment (χ² = 12.118, df = 1, p < 0.001), with high-familiarity readers rating "all types of scenarios significantly higher" (β = 0.342).

"The analysis revealed a significant main effect of Famil- iarity (χ² = 12.118, df = 1,p < 0.001; see Fig.1c). Post-hoc comparisons using the emmeans package with FDR correction showed that participants with high familiarity consistently rated all types of scenarios significantly higher than those with low familiarity (β = 0.342, t(59) = 3.493, pFDR < 0.001)."

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
• The SR-related brain-activation pattern occurs only in readers highly familiar with Harry Potter; low-familiarity readers show no significant differences — related
• Supernaturalness ratings correlate positively, but very weakly, with the SR-vs-SF activation difference in the left postcentral gyrus — related
• Social cognition (AQ S-C-I) partially mediates the relationship between supernaturalness ratings and left sensorimotor activation during supernatural reading — related