Consumer Education and the Preschool Child

Abstract

Children are consumers and subject to a number of factors which socialize them into this role. Consumer education is often cited as an important tool in directing this socialization process toward the desired result of developing efficient and knowledgeable consumers. But how early can consumer education begin in the school setting? Can the preschool child be taught basic marketplace concepts and sequences or is this consumer simply too young? What are the early building blocks of consumer education? Do some approaches to teaching the very young consumer work better than others? This study presents a conceptual framework and the results of an exploratory laboratory study which begin to answer these important questions.

A Humanistic Approach to Understanding Child Consumer Socialization in US Homes

“…Past research has suggested that understanding the "significance of money as a medium of exchange" is an important building block for preschoolers' consumer education (Stampfl, Moschis, & Lawton, 1978). Our data indicate these positive consumer socialization outcomes are central to parents' marketing-related conversations and decisions.…”

Parental consumer learning or ‘keeping up with the children’

“…Carlson and Grossbart, 1988;Grossbart, Carlson and Walsh, 1991;Peracchio, 1992;Roedder et al, 1986;Stampfl et al, 1978;Ward et al, 1977) or adolescent consumer learning (e.g. Churchill and Moschis, 1979;Moore and Stephens, 1975;Churchill, 1977, 1978;Moschis, 1985;Moschis and Moore, 1979, 1982 have often been conducted in the context of consumer socialization.…”

Consumer socialization of preschoolers and kindergartners as related to clothing consumption

“…Researchers have noted that the consumer segment that consists of children aged 3-6 has a limited amount of money to spend in markets (Chamberlin, 1978;Moschis & Moore, 1984;and Ward, 1974), yet this segment has probably had more experience in the marketplace than in writing or arithmetic (Stampfl, Moschis & Lawton, 1978). Preschool and kindergarten children are taken on shopping trips by parents, talked to, and introduced to the main components of the marketplace: money, products, and stores (McNeal, 1987).…”