Neuronal Mechanisms of Reading Informational Texts in People with Different Levels of Mental Resilience

TL;DR

This study explores how mental resilience affects reading comprehension and brain activity when using different text formats.

Contribution

It reveals that brain activity differs by text format and resilience level, despite similar comprehension outcomes.

Findings

No differences in correct answers were found between high and low resilience groups.

Moderate resilience individuals performed better with printed texts.

Brain activity varied by text format and resilience level.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to verify whether the level of mental resilience would differentiate reading comprehension performance when using different information carriers. More than 150 people filled out a test regarding the level of resilience. They then participated in a survey using fNIRS. Their task was to read a one-page informational text and answer several questions. The results showed no differences in correct answers between groups of people with different levels of resilience. In the groups of people with high and low levels of resilience, the number of correct answers was not differentiated by the type of carrier. Among those with moderate levels of resilience, better results were obtained by those who read text printed on paper. Analyses of neuronal mechanisms showed that the type of carrier differentiated brain activity in each group. Obtaining the same number of correct answers in the test was the result of different neuronal mechanisms activated in those who used a computer and those who read a printed text.

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