Liking of plan‐based stories: The role of goal importance and goal attainment difficulty

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Abstract
The present study tests the predictions of the structural‐affect theory of stories that the importance of the goal the protagonist pursues and the difficulty the protagonist experiences in attaining the goal will both increase ratings of storyhood and story liking. Data collected from grade school children and adults verified the predictions. Evidence was also obtained that subjects, particularly adults, expected the two structures to co‐occur in stories; namely, that important goals would be difficult to attain and that uneasily attained goals would be important. The results indicate that an adequate description of storyhood and story liking should include a consideration of goal importance, as well as goal attainment difficulty.