Preschoolers' awareness of television advertising

The ability of 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children to correctly identify videotaped TV segments as programs and commercials was examined. While this ability improved with age, responding was above chance for each age group. The children used both auditory and visual cues in making correct identifications. The results indicate that, when a task requiring minimal verbal responding is used, preschoolers demonstrate an awareness of commercials as distinct from programs. The social policy implications of the results are discussed.