Rozwój socjalizacji konsumenckiej w świetle badań nad dziecięcymi teoriami umysłu. Refleksje nad rozumieniem perswazyjności reklamy i przekonywaniem rodziców do zakupów

Development of consumer socialisation in the light of children’s theories of mindThe paper presents the benefits that can be derived from studying consumer socialisation in the light of the development of child’s mental competences. In the beginning, the author presents how consumer socialization, the process by which young people acquire skills, knowledge and attitudes relevant to their functioning as consumers in the market place, is conceived in four different theories of: James McNeal (1992, 2007), Patti Valkenburg, Joanne Cantor (2001), Fiony Cram, Sik Hung Ng (1999), Deborah Roedder John (1999). The analysis of presented theoretical approaches show that they all emphasize the role of socio-cognitive development as developmental mechanisms crucial for the child’s improved consumer functioning, but do not explain which developmental competences are the most crucial. While the theories draw heavily on Piagetan developmental theory, the author argues that the more recent approach focusing on the development of the child’s theories of mind may prove more fruitful. The developmental changes in two areas: children’s ability to appreciate and cope with advertising and children’s influence in purchase decision can be better explained by growing mental competences of the child. The review of research on these topics generates the hypothesis that first- as well second-order mental states understanding is important for generating and understanding persuasive communication. Future studies, based on this hypothesis, can be valuable for understanding the developmental mechanisms of consumer socialisation as well as a theory of mind development in middle childhood.