TASK DEFINITION: Read the given story and classify it as 'imagined', 'recalled', or 'retold'. If a story is imagined, the person who wrote the story is making it up, pretending they experienced it. If a story is recalled, the person who wrote the story really experienced it and is recalling it from memory. If a story is retold, it is a real memory like the 'recalled' stories, but written down much later after previously writing a 'recalled' story about the same events. So, recalled stories and retold stories will be fairly similar, in that they both were real experiences for the writer. Imagined stories have a more linear flow and contain more commonsense knowledge, whereas recalled stories are less connected and contain more specific concrete events. Additionally, higher levels of self reference are found in imagined stories. Between recalled and retold stories, retold stories flow significantly more linearly than recalled stories, and retold stories are significantly higher in scores for cognitive processes and positive tone.
PROBLEM: I was looking to buy a car and had saved up enough for one I was interested in. I just needed enough in my bank account to buy car insurance. I went in to Amazon payments and I would attempt to withdraw my balance to my bank account, receive a message that the withdrawal was successful, then receive an email that there was an error and my balance was returned to my account. This was the last day I could withdraw money because deposits aren't handled on weekends. I kept trying throughout the day because I needed the money in my account to buy the insurance. Just before the deadline to transfer the money it finally went though. The next day I found that all of the attempts went through and I had more than $400 in my account that I wasn't supposed to have. I didn't know how this would be handled by Amazon and didn't want to touch the money until it was fixed. I was afraid to use the money in case it was all taken out of the account to fix the error. In the mean time the seller of the car I was trying to buy removed the listing. I was angry and frustrated that this had happened and cost me the opportunity to buy the car. Eventually Amazon let us know that they would be fixing the account balance in our payment accounts and no money would be withdrawn from our bank accounts. This was great news but I still didn't have a car. I expanded my search and continued looking for a car. I found a 5 series BMW that was in great condition and immediately made arrangements to check it out. In the end I wound up buying the car in stead of the 3 series I was looking at before and was able to keep the $400+. Driving home I was the happiest I'd been in a long time.

SOLUTION: retold

PROBLEM: Last month I was invited to a seminar for our company that was based in a different state. This is an exclusive invite that only a handful of employees get to attend every year. One of the people from our office that went was a man from accounting. He is in his mid-20s and has such a contagious smile. After the seminar ended one evening, we went out to a bar just to relax before returning to our hotel rooms. One thing led to another, and we became quite close. We've been dating since we have returned from that seminar, and even reported the relationship to HR. He wants me to meet his family. This would be all well and good, but I'm terrified what they must think of me. I'm nearly 40, which makes me almost old enough to be his mother. I hate that age is such a factor, but I can't help but feel the stares every time we go out. So, I'm nervous to meet his family. I haven't even told my own family that I'm seeing someone. I just want things to be perfect with us just a bit longer. I don't want to put the stigma on our relationship with the whispering that is sure to come from our families.

SOLUTION: imagined

PROBLEM: Last May, I celebrated my fortieth birthday with my family and two other families. We gathered at the lake in Kentucky where we meet every May. We spent three days fishing, boating, and socializing. It was great to hear from old friends who we do not see often anymore. All of the adults were very close in college, but have drifted apart in the recent years moving to different states. It was important to me because while I enjoy meeting with my two best friends from college, our families have now started to grow closer as well. Each family has two children, and I enjoyed seeing my daughters become closer friends with the other children. The children planned their own games, enjoyed swimming in the lake, and created a rope-swing off of the dock. The most meaningful moments to me were seeing our children develop a similar friendship to what I had with the two other Dads who were present that weekend. The children wanted to keep in contact upon leaving, which has not happened before. They planned to "borrow" phones from their parents so that they could text and call each other throughout the summer. They even planned another trip for the three families to an amusement part later this fall. The children are now growing old enough that they can experience lake activities without the adults, giving us more time for reflection and fun. The fact the the weekend hit a milestone birthday for me this year was largely a coincidence, but it worked out perfectly as a time to reflect on four decades and anticipate (hopefully) many more. It is great ot know that some friendships span multiple generations.

SOLUTION:
recalled