Acquisition of an Unfamiliar Script in Story Form by Young Children

Abstract

Preschool, first, and third graders heard similar versions of an unfamiliar scriptlike story followed by a novel story, and were tested for immediate and delayed recall. Children more often confused parts of the similar stories with each other than with the novel story, indicating that the similar versions were perceived as belonging to a separate category or script. "Very specific" story items were recalled better in immediate recall, whereas "very general" items were recalled better in delayed recall, suggesting a transition from reproductive to reconstructive recall. Preschoolers showed less evidence of constructive processing than older children, and their performance was more affected by the degree to which story items were schematically organized.