Validity of Adults’ Retrospective Memory for Early Television Viewing

Abstract

Two studies examined the validity of adults’ retrospective memory for remote past television viewing. In both studies, participants between 18 and 22 years of age reported their past viewing levels for primetime TV series from 10 years, five years, and one year prior to testing. Validity of those remote memories was assessed via examination of ecological viewing patterns, as well as testing memory for program content. In both studies, people reported expected naturalistic, selective, and logically consistent TV viewing patterns. In Study 1, participants’ cued recall of basic content from a random selection of programs was a clear positive function of reported past viewing levels for those programs. In Study 2, memory for program content was assessed in recognition format, and again was a positive function of reported past viewing levels. Further evidence of validity of past viewing reports was found in predicted developmental trends, namely, viewing levels increased across years, in later time slots, and for more adult program genres. Overall, findings indicated valid reporting of early TV viewing, with implications for retrospective designs for investigating long term relationships between early TV exposure and later adult characteristics.