Taiwanese young adults' intergenerational communication schemas.

Mei Chen Lin, Yan Bing Zhang, Jake Harwood

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study examined intergenerational communication schemas by investigating young adults' cognitive representations of communication with older adults in Taiwan. Forty-one Taiwanese college students described conversations with an older adult in response to a variety of interviewer prompts. Transcripts were read and content analyzed by the first two authors. To capture the characteristics of the conversation descriptions, eleven coding dimensions were generated based on schema theory, and all conversation descriptions were coded along these dimensions. Coding results were submitted to hierarchical cluster analysis, yielding five schemas: Mutually satisfying, helping, mixed feelings, small talk, and mutually unpleasant conversations. Results are discussed in terms of similarities and differences from Harwood, McKee and Lin's (2000) study, schema theory, intergenerational communication, and Chinese cultural norms.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)321-342
Number of pages22
JournalJournal of cross-cultural gerontology
Volume19
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2004
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Geriatrics and Gerontology

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