What I Can Do with the Right Version of You

The Impact of Narrative Perspective on Reader Immersion, and How (in)Formal Address Pronouns Influence Immersion Reports

Dados Bibliográficos

ID5901451
AutoresPatricia Sánchez Carrasco (0009-0000-4917-4376, Radboud University Nijmegen, autor correspondente), Marjolein Van Hoften (Radboud University Nijmegen), Gert-Jan Schoenmakers (0000-0002-0666-6001, Utrecht University)
Ano2024
Volume9
Fascículo8
Páginas265
Data de publicação2024-07-30
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoLanguages (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2226-471X • E-ISSN: 2226-471X
EditoraMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/languages9080265
OpenAlexW4401112452
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas3
Referências citadas38

Previous research has shown that readers experience stronger immersion while reading first-person narratives than third-person narratives, but whether this difference in processing is time-sensitive remains unclear. We report on a self-paced reading experiment in which French participants read short stories in first and in third person. Additionally, participants were directly addressed with either formal or informal second-person pronouns in the final sentence of the narrative, as well as in a subsequent (off-line) questionnaire soliciting post-story immersion reports. The suitability of a particular pronoun of address depends on the social context, and misplaced use can impact the way in which people perceive and assess a particular situation. We did not find significant differences between reading times with first- or third-person pronouns, but participants reported higher immersion and emotional engagement after reading first-person stories than third-person stories. Moreover, the effect of story perspective on reported immersion only occurred when participants were addressed with formal second-person pronouns. We take these findings as evidence for an effect of first- versus third-person pronouns on immersion via perspective shifts. Moreover, we argue that the effect of being addressed with an unexpected (in this case, informal) pronoun can overrule such an effect, while being addressed with an expected (in this case, formal) pronoun can be conducive of it. This finding highlights the importance of research into the impact of pronouns of address

Cognitive psychology · First person · French immersion · Linguistics · Narrative · Personal pronoun · Perspective (graphical · Pronoun · Sentence · Third person · Child Development and Digital Technology · Computer Science · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Media Influence and Health · Psychology · Social Psychology