Taiwanese young adults' intergenerational communication schemas.
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.
Lin
Mei-Chen
MC
School of Communication Studies, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44224-0001, USA. mlin@kent.edu
Zhang
Yan Bing
YB
Harwood
Jake
J
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003144:Communication Barriers; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D008297:Male; D012107:Research Design; D012938:Social Perception; D012945:Social Values; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan; D014705:Verbal Behavior