Why So Many Fake Memoirs: Experiment to Determine Whether People Enjoy Nonfiction More
33 Pages Posted: 11 May 2016 Last revised: 20 May 2016
Date Written: May 10, 2016
Abstract
This study advances in the literature revolving around the paradox of fiction. Using as context the anecdotal cases of the publication of false memoirs, the intuition that people might have a preference for nonfiction material was examined. Subjects were given handouts with written sample from a hypothetical book. The handouts only differed on the genre of the book (fiction or nonfiction). Results did not reveal any kind of statistically significant preference for nonfiction, as found in previous studies. This suggests that written content, as opposed to audio-visual content, might not be subject to a nonfiction preference. This allows for further speculation on the underlying psychological mechanism that allows for nonfiction preferences.
Keywords: Fiction, Empathy, Preference, Fake Memoirs
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