Storytelling Changes with Age
Author Information
Author(s): Teagan McCune, Alea Nicole
Primary Institution: University of California Santa Barbara
Hypothesis
The study investigates how the expression of story asides in autobiographical stories differs between young and older adults.
Conclusion
Older adults include more story asides in their autobiographical stories than younger adults, but this is not explained by how they recollect or reflect on their memories.
Supporting Evidence
- Older adults express more story asides in their autobiographical stories compared to young adults.
- Recollection and reflection did not predict story aside expression.
- The study suggests that other cognitive factors may explain age differences in storytelling.
Takeaway
As people get older, they tend to add more extra details when telling stories about their past, but how they remember those stories doesn't seem to affect this.
Methodology
Participants shared autobiographical stories and completed a questionnaire about their recollection and reflection on those stories.
Participant Demographics
61 young adults (average age 19.9) and 35 older adults (average age 73.8).
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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