Adult age group differences in story recall style

Abstract

The story recall style of younger (mean age = 18.67 years) and older adults (mean age = 65.96) was examined in this study. Following presentation of a narrative in either fable or non-fable form, participants produced written responses under one of four recall conditions: total recall, summary, gist, or gist plus moral. Analysis of the response protocols revealed quantitative and qualitative differences associated with age in the non-fable but not the fable condition. In response to the non-fable, older adults exhibited a style that was more integrative or interpretive than that of the younger adults, whose protocols were highly text-based and literal. Overall, the fable condition produced more text-based responses than did the non-fable condition. In addition, instructions at recall influenced responding. Response patterns could be shifted toward a more text-based style under total recall instructions, while more interpretive responses were obtained under the gist plus moral condition.