'Looking before and after': Can simple eye tracking patterns distinguish poetic from prosaic texts?

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Literary Studies
• Psycholinguistics

Background:

• Neurocognitive poetics is an emerging field applying neuroscience to understand literary appreciation.
• Previous theories suggest poetry engages cognitive processes differently than prose.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in eye-tracking patterns between reading poetry and prose.
• To explore how text structure (poetry vs. prose) and reappraisal needs influence reading behavior.

Main Methods:

• Eye-tracking was used on young adults reading short poetry and matched prose texts.
• A 2x2 experimental design compared poetry vs. prose and need vs. no need for final line reappraisal.

Main Results:

• Poetry reading showed significantly more and longer fixations, plus more regressive eye movements than prose.
• The need for reappraisal primarily increased regressive eye movements.
• Poetic reappraisal condition had more regressive movements and longer fixations than prosaic non-reappraisal.

Conclusions:

• Poetry reading is characterized by slower processing, evidenced by increased fixations and regressions, compared to linear prose reading.
• Eye-tracking provides objective metrics for understanding the cognitive engagement with poetic texts.
• Future research can explore psychophysiological measures to uncover cognitive benefits of literary engagement.