Article ID: 2020.045
In this study, the effects of a theatrical activity on social abilities were examined. The participants (N = 40) were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. While the experimental group read a playscript, planned a performance, and performed, the control group read a playscript and summarized the content of the story. All the participants completed three social ability measures, namely, Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, Yoni Test, and Situational Test of Emotional Understanding as well as a questionnaire, namely, Interpersonal Reactivity Index on three occasions: pre, post, and followup measurement. Moreover, they completed the Narrative Transportation Scale immediately after the intervention, which assessed the psychological state of immersion into the narrative world. It was predicted that the extent of narrative transportation the participants experience would moderate the effect of theatrical activity. The results revealed that highly transported participants in the experimental group scored significantly higher than those in the control group on various scales including Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, Yoni Test, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index Empathic Concern scale. Furthermore, after the intervention, the extent of transportation predicted these social abilities in the experimental group.
