Thursday, September 10, 2009

Read two fiction books...

Life has been normal around here so I haven't had anything to say that wasn't already said.

I've found two things now that I think are worth discussing.

The first is this psychology study:

By imagining many possible worlds, argues novelist and psychologist Keith Oatley, fiction helps us understand ourselves and others.

Could reading fiction be helpful for people on the spectrum? I've often wondered this myself. When my husband has no idea what to do, I've asked him what the character from a relevant book would do in similar circumstances. It hasn't helped him to answer yet, but I wonder if it has affected his actions at all. I'll come back with the second either later today or tomorrow.

Update: The video I'm wanting to post isn't available yet, but this one discusses the role of fiction in developing theory of mind so I'll link it for now and hopefully the video I want will be up soon.

3 comments:

  1. I think Aspies in general have a hard time with empathy and putting themselves in another's shoes.

    I notice that my husband prefers to read non-fiction, but if he reads fiction, the main characters are very similar to him in opinions and personalities.

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  2. I mainly read fiction but I don't have too many problems reading non-fiction either.

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  3. My husband has always liked fiction. He reads a lot of news, forums, and other practical stuff but he also reads all the classics and really enjoys them. It doesn't make much sense to me how he could like these really good dramas if he can't put himself into their shoes or imagine plot alternatives. I know there's got to be something that makes it click for him, but I can't think of it and he can't say what it is.

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