Generational Effects: Past, Present, and Future

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What defines the collective identity of a 'generation'? Commonly perceived but rarely studied systematically is the way in which formative events of the recent historic past (like the Thirty's depression, the Vietnam war or the computerization of the workplace) are differently experienced by various generations then alive. This project will replicate and extend past work concerned with generational effects on the collective memories of individuals.The general question driving this work is whether different generational groups have distinctive memories that are shaped by public eventsand if so, when in the course of their lives do events make their strongest impression or any memorable impression at all? Recently published work by the Principal Investigator has established, atone point in time, the disproportionate influence of political events occurring during the adolescence and early adult years, rather than in earlier or later years. The work proposed here would replicate the result and probe further into the range of events (political, but also scientific and technological developments) for which it is true,the explanations of this effect and the consequences for currentattitudes and actions. //