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One of the most important factors in the child's acquisition of consumer skills, knowledge, and attitudes is believed to be intrafamily communication about consumption (4, 10, 23). But rather than simply being linked to the quantity of interaction, effective consumer learning has also been found to be closely tied to the patterns or quality of communication that takes place within the home (12, 13). This is in line with family communication patterns (FCP) research in political socialization, where patterns have been found to have a more significant influence than frequency or amount of parent-child interaction (7). Two relatively uncorrelated dimensions of communication structure typically emerge: socio-orientation, characterized by parental messages intended to promote deference and to foster harmonious and pleasant social relationships between parent and child; and concept-orientation, emphasizing positive constraints that enable the child to develop his or her own views about the world. The two general dimensions of parent-to-child communication produce a four-fold typology of family communication patterns:laissez-faire, protectiue, pluralistic, and consensual.Laissez-faire parents engage in neither socio-orientation nor conceptorientation type of communication. In fact, little parent-child communication occurs in these families. Protective parents stress obedience and 43 Journal of Communication, Autumn 1981 social harmony in their communication with their child and show little concern with conceptual matters. Pluralistic parents encourage open communication and discussion of ideas without insisting on obedience to authority. The child is encouraged to explore new ideas and express them without fear of retaliation. There is an emphasis on mutual respect and interests. Finally, consensual parents stress both types of communication and the child is encouraged to take an interest in the world of ideas, as long as the family's hierarchy of opinion and internal harmony are not disturbed.These communication patterns appear to affect the child's ability to cope with various situations encountered outside the immediate family such as public affairs, school activities, mass media use, and political learning (1, 2, 7). Consumer learning, like political learning, may be directly influenced by parent-child communication and indirectly influenced through socialization agents such as the mass media, which appear to be a significant source of consumer information (4, 21).

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Recent public policy discussions have focused on the role and lnfluences of televkion, school, and family in teaching young people various desirable and undesirable consumer-related cognitions and behaviors. This research provides a theoretical and empirical basis useful in resolving such issues. The study examined the influences of television, family, school and peers on the acquisition of specific consumer skills that contribute to the individual's competency and proficiency as a consumer in the marketplace.In recent years, public-policy makers and consumer educators have shown increasing interest in consumer socialization, that is, the process by which young people acquire consumption-related skills, attitudes, and knowledge.Public-policy makers need to understand consumer socialization in order to respond effectively to charges made by various consumer groups about the effects of marketing activities on young people. Advertising critics, for example, argue that advertising strongly influences youth and results in undesirable socialization (e.g., nonrational, impulse-oriented buying). On the other hand, defenders of advertising practices respond by stating that advertising simply sets up the agenda for positive parent-child interaction and provides consumption-learning experiences for the child 1201.Because of the recent consumer education movement and the various public policy issues concerning the effects of promotion on young people, consumer educators have also shown a renewed interest in consumer education courses as a means of preparing children for effective interac-