Abstract The main focus of this research lies on differences between the reader’s own emotional state and the emotional state of the protagonist. 83 eleven-year-old Dutch pupils read short...Show moreAbstract The main focus of this research lies on differences between the reader’s own emotional state and the emotional state of the protagonist. 83 eleven-year-old Dutch pupils read short fictional narratives in an experimental and neutral condition and rated the emotional states for valence and arousal with a Likert-scale. It was expected that participants were able to make correct inferences of the protagonist’s emotional state and therefore rate the valence and arousal scale more extreme in the experimental condition and for the protagonist. Results showed that participants indeed differed significantly between the two conditions and perspectives. They did so for both valence and arousal and for stories with positive and negative emotions. Furthermore an interaction effect between gender and condition was found; boys rated the valence of their own emotional state more neutral than girls. Boys also rated the arousal scale stronger for positive stories in the experimental condition. Readers who are able to distinguish more between their own emotional state and the emotional state of the protagonist might have an advantage at reading comprehension over children who rate the emotional states more alike.Show less
