Investigating Reading Enjoyment in Adults With Dyslexia

Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that adults with dyslexia do not enjoy reading, based on data from trait-based questionnaires. This study uses state-based measures of reading to offer greater insight into different aspects of motivation, including liking and wanting. In a new paradigm sensitive to dynamic changes in reading enjoyment, adults with dyslexia (n = 59) and without dyslexia (n = 59) read 24 book extracts, rated their enjoyment and answered a question about the extract. Subsequently, participants decided whether to accept a cost (e.g., 3–6 s wait) to read the next paragraph. We also collected traditional trait-based measures of enjoyment. While neurotypical adults had higher trait-based reading enjoyment, average state-based reading enjoyment did not differ between groups. The relationship between high enjoyment states and subsequent benefits was altered in dyslexia. While heightened states of enjoyment increased the likelihood of continuing to read, this was attenuated in adults with dyslexia. In neurotypical adults, high states of enjoyment increased the likelihood of answering the question about the text correctly; this relationship did not hold in adults with dyslexia. Our findings shed light on how links between intrinsic value and subsequent motivation are altered in adults with dyslexia, suggesting that reading enjoyment can drive reading engagement but not comprehension.