Benjamin K. Johnson
Benjamin K. Johnson is a researcher and first author of a 2015 experiment on spoilers and dimensions of enjoyment, published in Communication Research.
Who they are
Johnson is the first author of a within-subjects experiment, written with Judith Rosenbaum, that tested whether spoilers enhance narrative enjoyment. The study used 412 participants and a view of enjoyment with several dimensions, not a single rating.
In that experiment, unspoiled stories were rated as more fun and suspenseful and, unexpectedly, also as more moving and enjoyable overall. The paper is one of the later studies the article on spoilers sets beside the original 2011 experiments.
Key papers
Johnson, B. K. and Rosenbaum, J. E. (2015), Communication Research 42(8), 1068-1088.
Key ideas
Enjoyment of a story has several dimensions, including fun, suspense and being moved, and spoilers can affect them differently.
In this experiment, unspoiled stories scored higher on fun, suspense and being moved.
Sources
- Johnson, B. K. and Rosenbaum, J. E. (2015), Communication Research 42(8), 1068-1088.