Guo, JenWeston, Sara J.Condon, David M.2022-07-142022-07-142018-01-21Guo, J., Weston, S. J., & Condon, D. M. (2018, May 31). Capturing the stories of our lives: Examining the collection of life narrative data. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/vzam4https://hdl.handle.net/1794/27463https://psyarxiv.com/vzam4/40 pages.Objective: Do different methods for collecting life narratives – the integrated, autobiographical construction of the past and imagined future – produce similar lexical features and relationships to personality traits? The present study compares accounts from an in-person and online sample on measures of word categories, narrative themes and their relationships with Big Five traits. Method: The first sample (N = 157, mean age = 53.7, 64% female, 55% White, and 43% Black) consisted of narratives gathered in-person and the second (N = 256, mean age = 30.6, 61% female, 70% White, 30% non-White) contained type-written responses to the same prompts from an independent online sample. Participants’ responses to the narrative prompts were coded for thematic redemption and contamination. Results: Tests revealed significant differences between samples in 25 of 63 LIWC word categories. Online participants’ narratives also had higher odds of thematic redemption (but not contamination) above and beyond word count, type of narrative scene, participant demographics, and Big Five traits. Lastly, comparisons revealed no significant differences across the samples’ relationships between personality traits and narrative themes. Conclusion: This research supports conditional assimilation of correlational findings from different narrative methodologies and proposes methodological considerations for future research involving life narratives.enCreative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0-USBig FiveLife storyNarrativeOnline samplesArticlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/vzam4