What Changes and What Remains the Same in Entertainment Experience Over the Life Span? Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the International Communication Association, Boston, May 2011.

Emotions are often assumed to be the heart of media entertainment. Relatively little is known, though, about the development of entertainment experience over the life span. This paper reviews the research literature on age differences in entertainment needs and gratifications within the theoretical context of emotional life span development and presents a study designed to extend existing findings. Specific attention is given to the differential roles of gratifications sought and gratifications obtained. On the level of gratifications sought, young adults reported greater interest in thrill and poignant experiences, whereas older adults were more interested in thought-provoking entertainment experiences. However, ratings of film scenes showed that the same types of gratifications obtained predicted positive scene evaluations independent of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]