The paper focuses on the problem of the interaction between the experimental situation and the situation played out in the experimental task, using the example of a comparative analysis of unprepared secondary narratives of adult Russian speakers and monolingual Russian native children at the age of 4;7 to 7;6 years. All subjects had to retell a 4-minute fragment of the cartoon simultaneously with its viewing without preliminary preparation. The analysis showed that adult subjects keep the situation described in the cartoon away, remaining within the framework of the situation of the experiment itself. Young children also allow for abstract descriptions and include digressions in their narratives, speaking about some events in their own lives. The paper provides a classification of the elements of the critical communication strategy found in children's nar-ratives.