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.