Developmental Changes in Adult Comprehension of a Television Program are Modified by Being a Fan

Abstract

Three groups of adults (aged 19–30, 65–70, and 71–78) watched two TV dramas. Half the adults within each age group were fans of the second program, thus were familiar with the characters, typical story lines, and production style. Comprehension was measured after each program, including memory for characters’ emotions and relationships, recognition and recall and chronology of main events, and ability to make inferences about the content. The results indicated significant age differences in comprehension. Age differences were smaller for socioemotional content and for relatively easy tasks, larger for chronological sequencing and inference measures. Age differences on most comprehension variables (but not inference-making) were smaller among fans viewing familiar content.

Keywords:

• Aging
• Comprehension
• Television
• Media
• Older

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marie-Louise Mares

Marie-Louise Mares is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Arts, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison