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Official Cobra Command Recruitment Thread!!!!
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08-15-2011, 02:19 PM
ArcticCG
Retired Viper
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Markham, ON
Posts: 45,213
Check this story out...
Spoiler Alert: Knowing the ending enhances the story
CTV News.ca Staff
Date: Monday Aug. 15, 2011 1:14 PM ET
Reading the final chapter of a book first or researching plot-spoiling movie reviews online before going to the cinema could actually enhance your entertainment experience, rather than lessen it, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego found that, quite simply, stories are not spoiled by spoilers.
Just the opposite is true, in fact. When subjects in a study conducted by the university's psychology department were asked to rate their enjoyment of various stories, they almost always picked the ones where they knew the outcome ahead of time.
Participants in the study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal
Psychological Science
, were asked to read different versions of 12 stories written by John Updike, Roald Dahl, Anton Chekhov and Agatha Christie.
The stories were broken into three categories: ironic twist, mystery and literary.
One version of each story was presented as-is, in the original format. Another version had a spoiler paragraph at the outset that gave away the ending. A third version included the spoiler, but it was woven into the text as though it was part of the original composition.
Data from participants who had previously read the story was excluded.
When it came to the ironic twist tales, subjects significantly preferred the spoiled versions of the stories in all cases but one.
When it came to mysteries -- where it could be presumed that the element of surprise would be most important -- a strong majority of readers chose the spoiler version over the unspoiled.
And with literary, evocative stories -- which were least popular overall -- the subjects still preferred the version where they knew the ending ahead of time.
The study results prove one thing, according to one of the authors: plot is overrated.
"Plots are just excuses for great writing. What the plot is is (almost) irrelevant. The pleasure is in the writing," said Nicholas Christenfeld, a UC San Diego professor of social psychology, in a statement.
While the scope of the study didn't include a deep investigation of why people prefer to know the ending ahead of time, one possible explanation is that spoilers make it easier to follow a story. Therefore we like them better.
"So it could be," said Jonathan Leavitt, a psychology doctoral student at UC San Diego and Christenfeld's co-author, "that once you know how it turns out, it's cognitively easier -- you're more comfortable processing the information -- and can focus on a deeper understanding of the story."
Interestingly, the study found that respondents most preferred the stories where the spoiler was presented up front, as a preface to the tale. When it was woven into the narrative, the result wasn't nearly as dramatic.
The theory that it's the quality of the writing rather than the twists and turns of the plot that makes readers connect with a story, makes sense, the authors suggest.
Otherwise why would you wear out that VHS copy of "Stand By Me" with dozens of viewings, despite already knowing the ending? Or consistently return to that dog-eared copy of "Little Women"?
"Stories are a universal element of human culture, the backbone of the billion-dollar entertainment industry, and the medium through which religion and societal values are transmitted," the researchers write in the study.
In other words, while narratives are important, they don't need to be suspenseful in order to connect with their audience.
Leavitt and Christenfeld conclude their paper by suggesting that we reevaluate the importance we place on the element of surprise.
"Perhaps," they suggest, "birthday presents are better when wrapped in cellophane, and engagement rings are better when not concealed in chocolate mousse."
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