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Description
Previous research has shown that there is cultural variation in psychological closeness to nature, which is the extent to which individuals see themselves as a 'part of' or 'apart from' nature. Research has also shown that variation in the likelihood to tell stories about personal experiences in nature can predict psychological closeness to nature among Menominee Native American and European American adults. What is it about storytelling that matters for psychological closeness to nature? Based on predictions derived from construal level theory, it was expected that the level of specificity characteristic of personal storytelling would serve as a context for other language practices that are concrete and specific, including the use of greater specificity in labels used for species (e.g., oak tree vs. tree), referencing of individuals rather than kinds (e.g., this tree vs. trees), and descriptive adjectives (e.g., large oak tree with green leaves). It was predicted that the presence of these language practices would moderate the relationship between storytelling and psychological closeness to nature. In Study 1, data from previously conducted interviews with adults were used to study the differences between storytelling and expository discourse. The results showed that the only specific language practice to vary across these discursive contexts was the use of taxonomic labels, such that using either generic or specific labels was more likely in the expository context. Study 2 involved a more direct investigation into the causal link between storytelling and psychological closeness to nature among undergraduates and children, aged 5-11. The results showed that both children and adults were more likely to reference individuals than kinds in storytelling discourse, and both were more likely to reference kinds than individuals in expository discourse. However, these specific language practices were unrelated to psychological closeness to nature (as measured by a human nature categorization task), and predictions regarding the use of other language practices were not supported. A significant interaction between age and prompt type revealed that whereas children and adults were equally as likely to group humans with nature in the expository condition, children were more likely than adults to group humans with nature in the storytelling condition. Implications for cultural learning across development are discussed.
