MRI scans point to the coordination of multiple, complex cognitive functions that occur when we read for leisure, and also during close reading.

The experiment focuses on the cognitive dynamics of the different kinds of focus we bring to reading. Preliminary results reveal that blood flow occurred in a different part of the brain during close reading.

This research was born out of an interest in how these types of reading engages the brain. Initial findings suggest that cognition may be shaped not just by what we read, but how we read it.