The Development of Consumer and Non-Consumer Scripts in Children

ABSTRACT - The purpose of this research was to study the development of consumer and non-consumer script in children of different ages across several varied event contexts. Five scripts (morning, recess, suppertime. McDonald's, and grocery shopping) from three age groups of children. representing the Piagetian developmental stages. are compared and counted. The five event contexts were chosen because they vary in terms of frequency of experience, participation in the experience, the age of initial exposure, and the role of others in the experience. Using standard procedures, scripts were elicited, recorded and analyzed for 67 children. The results are primarily descriptive and illustrate the early development and salience of consumer scripts. It is shown that there are not always substantial developmental differences between children of different ages for the various scripts on the set of standard development criteria employed. Implications of the findings suggest the temporality of the scripts, the cultural basis of script knowledge, and the transition from observer to participant within the script. Future research should address the degree of script development and its relationship so the mindless script

Citation:

Audrey Guskey Federouch (1986) ,"The Development of Consumer and Non-Consumer Scripts in Children", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 13, eds. Richard J. Lutz, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 663.

Advances in Consumer Research Volume 13, 1986      Page 663

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONSUMER AND NON-CONSUMER SCRIPTS IN CHILDREN

Audrey Guskey Federouch, University Of Pittsburgh

ABSTRACT -

The purpose of this research was to study the development of consumer and non-consumer script in children of different ages across several varied event contexts. Five scripts (morning, recess, suppertime. McDonald's, and grocery shopping) from three age groups of children. representing the Piagetian developmental stages. are compared and counted. The five event contexts were chosen because they vary in terms of frequency of experience, participation in the experience, the age of initial exposure, and the role of others in the experience. Using standard procedures, scripts were elicited, recorded and analyzed for 67 children. The results are primarily descriptive and illustrate the early development and salience of consumer scripts. It is shown that there are not always substantial developmental differences between children of different ages for the various scripts on the set of standard development criteria employed. Implications of the findings suggest the temporality of the scripts, the cultural basis of script knowledge, and the transition from observer to participant within the script. Future research should address the degree of script development and its relationship so the mindless script

For further information, write to:

Audrey Guskey Federouch / Graduate School of Business / University of Pittsburgh / Pittsburgh PA 15260

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