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Abstract
Reading is a popular leisure activity for children, teenagers, and adults. Several theories agree that reading might improve social cognition, but the empirical evidence remains tentative, with research on adolescents especially lacking. We employed a very large, and nationally representative, longitudinal dataset from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) in Germany to examine this hypothesis. Specifically, we tested whether reading prospectively predicted future self-reported prosocial behavior and social adjustment in adolescents, controlling for a number of covariates. Two-way cross-lagged panel analyses probed the longitudinal relationship between leisure reading and these social outcomes from Grade 6 to Grade 9. In addition, we examined the effect of cumulative reading experience across Grades 5–8 on future social outcomes, using structural equation modeling. We also explored the unique contributions of cumulative reading experience in different literary genres (classic literature, popular literature, nonfiction, comic books). Cumulative reading in general did not predict future prosocial behavior and social adjustment. However, cumulative reading of modern classic literature was positively associated with later prosocial behavior and social adjustment.
Protocol registration
The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 08 November 2021. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at:
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Details
1 University of Bamberg, Department of Psychology, Bamberg, Germany (GRID:grid.7359.8) (ISNI:0000 0001 2325 4853)
2 University of Würzburg, Department of Psychology IV, Würzburg, Germany (GRID:grid.8379.5) (ISNI:0000 0001 1958 8658)
3 University of Würzburg, Department of Human-Computer-Media, Würzburg, Germany (GRID:grid.8379.5) (ISNI:0000 0001 1958 8658)
4 University of Würzburg, Department of Psychology IV, Würzburg, Germany (GRID:grid.8379.5) (ISNI:0000 0001 1958 8658); York University, Department of Psychology, Toronto, Canada (GRID:grid.21100.32) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 9430)