Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
A narrative or account of events presented in a sequential manner, usually with characters, settings, and plot.
Related terms
Narrative schema: A cognitive framework for organizing and interpreting stories based on common story elements.
Storytelling effect: The phenomenon where people tend to remember information better when it is presented in the form of a narrative compared to other formats.
Story schema activation theory: The theory that our prior knowledge and expectations influence how we interpret and remember stories.