Visualiseringsförmågans påverkan på läsning

Sammanfattning

This study investigated how individual visualization ability, especially aphantasia (absence ofthe ability to generate mental imagery), affected the perceived emotional intensity andengagement while reading a story designed to evoke feelings of fear and discomfort. The studyhad 97 respondents, consisting of 80 women and 17 men across varying age groups. Thirtyfour participants were classified as having aphantasia according to Marks’s Vividness of VisualImagery Questionnaire (VVIQ). This study used a quantitative research design and the datawas collected through questionnaires in which participants read a fear-inducing story and subsequently rated the intensity of their emotions and level of engagement. The data was analyzed using a correlation analysis, regression analysis and ANOVA. The results showed that participants with higher visualization ability experienced greater emotional intensity and engagement while reading. Participants with aphantasia reported significantly lower levels offear, discomfort, and engagement while reading. These findings were consistent with previous research suggesting that visualization ability plays an important role in reader´s immersion.The present study further demonstrates that this relationship also applies to specific emotions such as fear and discomfort. However, the findings should be interpreted with caution due tothe self-report nature of the study, the risk of confirmation bias, the sampling method, and the uneven distribution of age and gender among participants. Overall, the results indicate that visualization ability plays a significant role in the reading experience. Despite the study’s limitations, the findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how visualization ability influences emotional experience and engagement during fear-inducing reading.