Individual differences in script reports: implications for language assessment

When individuals are asked to describe routine events, their descriptions often exhibit characteristics of script reports (Schank & Abelson, 1977). A script has been defined as a set of expectations individuals have about routine events that is organized in a temporal-causal sequence of acts or single actions (Fivush, 1984; Nelson, Fivush, Hudson, & Lucariello, 1983). Individuals use the organization of scripts to describe routine events and to aid in their memory of specific instances of events (Bower, Black & Turner, 1979). The organization of scripts has also been found to enhance children's use and comprehension of language (Constable, 1986; Furman & Walden, 1989; Lucariello, Kyratzis, & Engel, 1986).