Consumer Learning Research Articles

The Role of Family Communication in Consumer Socialization of Children and Adolescents

While studies of communication effects on consumer behavior of the young have focused mainly on the effects of mass media (advertising in particular), little research has examined the effects of interpersonal communication. One finds relatively little theoretical and empirical work regarding the role of interpersonal communication in the development of consumer behavior of young people. This article deals with one important type of interpersonal communication—family communication. It conceptualizes the family communication processes and effects, reviews literature regarding the role of family communication in consumer learning of children and adolescents, develops a set of propositions on the basis of theory research, and suggests directions for future research.

Consumer socialization of children and adolescents. A review of current approaches

This article develops a theoretical framework for the analysis of consumer socialization, summarizes relevant empirical research, and gives a critical overview of theories that are actually used or could be used for the description and explanation of consumer socialization processes. The dependent variable “effects of consumer learning” is frequently defined in a casual manner in spite of the availability of various methods and criteria for a more systematic determination. The learning process, as the most important independent variable, is usually explained by theories of S-R learning and cognitive development, thus neglecting the advantages of S-O-R theories (especially attitude theories). The results of many investigations suggest that age and social class explain some differences in consumer dispositions. Family, peers, mass media, and school are the most relevant agents in consumer socialization, the first three profiting from learning situations which usually enhance their effectiveness.

The Role of Family Communication in Consumer Learning

The Role of Family Communication in Consumer Learning

Patterns of consumer learning

Because of recent issues surrounding the effects of marketing activities on the youth, consumer learning among young people has become of increasing interest to several groups of people including public policy makers and consumer educators. Public policy makers are primarily interested in understanding consumer socialization (i.e., the process by which young people develop consumer-related thoughts and actions) in order to effectively respond to consumerist pressures regarding marketing practices affecting youths and their families. Consumer educators need to understand consumer socialization to better prepare young people for effective interaction with the marketplace (Ward, 1974). In spite of the growing interest in this area, relatively little theory and published research exist to guide effective decision making (Ward, 1974). Suggestions for resolving consumer socialization-related issues center around either protecting the unsophisticated child from persuasive communications (e.g., ban television advertisements) (FTC Staff Report, 1978) or teaching him effective consumer skills (e.g., product safety habits) (Faber and Ward, 1977). These suggestions heavily rely upon the cognitive development approach to socialization which assumes a fairly slow unfolding intellectual growth through childhood and early adolescence resulting from

Patterns of Consumer Learning

Patterns of Consumer Learning

Preschool Children's Consumer Learning

Children's learning of consumer economic concepts in two types of preschool teaching con ditions was contrasted. Children in the Ausubelian program (high proportion of teacher‐ directed learning activity) achieved a significantly higher level of performance on a test mea suring learning of consumer economic concepts than did children in the Piagetian program (high proportion of child‐directed activities). Children in the Ausubelian program were also more competent in applying such concepts to a shopping procedure.

Role Perceptions in Adolescent Consumer Learning

Using the Thornton and Nardi model of role acquisition, adolescent consumer role perceptions were explored among 359 sixth through twelfth grade public school students. Demographic factors analyzed included socioeconomic status, personal spending and savings, age, sex, and consumer education, while dependent measures of consumer learning were slogan recall, product brand sa lience, consumer affairs knowledge, and consumer activism. Intervening role‐related perceptions included honesty evaluations of media and personal sources and consumer attributes. Media ex posure, parent‐child interaction, and peer communication were analyzed as sources of role conceptions.Results indicated consumer socialization is a complex process and lend support to the notion that middle‐school adolescents are generally experiencing the anticipatory stage and high school students are primarily at the formal stage of consumer role acquisition. Younger adolescents are apparently only beginning to adopt certain group values but older students have acquired them to a signifi cantly greater degree and show other evidence of conformity to role set expectations.

Television and Interpersonal Influences on Adolescent Consumer Learning

A model of consumer socialization is developed and tested. The development of the model is guided by theoretical notions and empirical findings drawn from various disciplinary areas, and the model is tested using two-stage least squares. The empirical results presented contribute to the understanding of the influence of television, family, and peers on adolescent consumer learning.

Teenagers' Reactions to Advertising

Abstract Using self-administered questionnaires from 607 adolescents, this study focuses on the development of cognitive orientations to advertising and mass media and interpersonal influences on the acquisition of consumption motivations and behaviors. The findings indicate that such consumer learning may occur primarily in a social context with communication with parents and peers as significant predictors. Overall, the data provide little support for the idea that the mass media create desires, which in turn motivate consumers to work harder to satisfy these needs. Instead, the material value system seems to arise out of basic socialization processes.

Children's responses to TV advertising: Product versus premium orientation

Attention has focused on a call for a ban on premium offers in children's television ads. Key considerations for proposing a ban was reflected in the FTC's statements regarding the confusion and difficulties of choice when the injection of a premium becomes the selling point rather than product merit. The sparsity of previous research in this area led to this exploration of television advertising viewing of different commercial content as it affects the “consumer learning process” of a child. This basically involves a continuum of learning, from the simplest recall of specific marketing-oriented elements such as identification of product or sponsor to the more complex level of understanding the use or value of a particular product or service. Trends noted in this study give additional insight to the marketing practitioner concerning the types of elements a child can assimilate and to the child's understanding of the message.

Some Communication and Demographic Determinants of Adolescent Consumer Learning

Differential processes associated with four measures of consumer learning—price accuracy, slogan recall, brand specification and attitudes toward advertising—are examined in a cross-sectional analysis of rural middle and high school adolescents.

Family and Media Influences On Adolescent Consumer Learning

Family and Media Influences On Adolescent Consumer Learning

Consumer Learning and The Creation of Primacy Advantages For Followers

This paper examines the basis for the primacy advantages that pioneersenjoy, then applies it to the strategic plight of followers. The authors developand test a Model of Innovation Learning that shows how individuals relatetheir understanding of new products to those with which they've had previousexposure. In an application of the model to the introduction of a new packagedgood, three factors - relative advantage, expertise, and familiarity arefound to have statistically significant effects on perceived distinctiveness;and perceived distinctiveness is found to be a predictor of perceptual separationand primacy advantage. Suggestions are given to assist in strategy formulationdecisions for followers.