Taiwanese young adults’ intergenerational communication schemas

Abstract

This study extended Harwood, McKee, and Lin’s (2000) research on intergenerational communication schemas by examining young adults’ cognitive representations of communication with older adults in Taiwan. Following Harwood et al.’s (2000) procedures, forty-one Taiwanese college students (M age = 20.36) 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. All conversation descriptions were coded along these dimensions on a four-point Likert scale. 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 et al.’s (2000) study, schema theory, intergenerational communication, and Chinese cultural norms.