Understanding strategic interactions in television commercials: A developmental study

The purpose of this study was to introduce an assessment procedure designed to explain developmental differences in understanding television advertising messages. Goffman's sociological concept of the “strategic interaction” and “recursive thinking,” the social analogue of Inhelder and Piaget's analysis of formal operational reasoning, provided the conceptual framework for our experimental paradigm. Four commercials for children's food products containing strategic interactions between two siblings were shown to 84 children, adolescents, and young adults. Participants were assessed for their understanding of the actors' behaviors and thoughts and for their understanding of the intent and persuasive strategy of the advertiser. Results indicated effects for both grade and commercial structure. The implications of these findings for social-cognitive development and for policy affecting children and television advertising are discussed.