Day 065 - 09 Dec 94 - Page 34

     
     1        advertising tends to over-ride what they know, which is
     2        hardly surprising when products are presented in a very
     3        desirable and attractive way.
     4
     5   MR. RAMPTON:  You do not put into this equation, on the
     6        contrary, you use it as fuel for your argument, that, at
     7        any rate so far as younger children are concerned, it is
     8        not them that decides what they are going to eat, is it?
     9        A.  Children's influence on what they eat begins to
    10        increase.  The research we were referring to earlier talked
    11        about 18 months old.  I do not use that research to say
    12        that children do not have influence over what they may like
    13        to eat, certainly as they get older.  We have been over
    14        this ground, I think.
    15
    16   Q.   We are going to come back to it with special reference to
    17        some work done by the psychology people at Leeds, which you
    18        are well familiar with, I know.  We will come back to it
    19        because, you see, it may be very important.  You will not
    20        accept, as I understand it, that the dominant influence in
         a household of what the children eat is the parents?
    22        A.  I could not make such a generalised sweeping statement,
    23        no.
    24
    25   Q.   Then we will have to look at it a bit more later on.  At
    26        the moment what I am concerned about is the effect of
    27        advertising on children in this sense:  What is their power
    28        to understand it?  Are the advertisers, as it were --
    29        I think you used the word "overriding" -- overriding the
    30        child's, at whatever age, ability to understand to choose
    31        for himself?
    32
    33        Can I ask you to look back at this page from this document
    34        about this gathering symposium, or whatever it was, where
    35        Dr. Young has set his report in:  "Young noted
    36        methodoligical difficulties in research in this area.  In
    37        particular, laboratory studies may force an unrealistic
    38        viewing environment on children, and threaten the validity
    39        of results.  Similarly, measurement issues are critical.
    40        Research approaches that rely on verbal responses from
         children are at risk because children are relatively
    42        inarticulate, and may not be able to state all that they
    43        know".  Would you accept that that was right?
    44        A.  The last sentence?
    45
    46   Q.   Yes, the last sentence.
    47        A.  Yes, I would certainly agree that there are
    48        methodoligical difficulties with research in this area.
    49
    50   Q.   I want to know whether you agree it is not sufficient to 
    51        rely on verbal responses? 
    52        A.  Verbal responses may give some indication.  I think it 
    53        depends on the age of the child very much in this.
    54
    55   Q.   Yes, exactly.  The younger the child, am I right, the
    56        likelier it becomes that though he may well know a
    57        difference to be able to differentiate between one thing
    58        and another, the likelier it is he is unable to articulate
    59        it in words?
    60        A.  Yes, but being able to differentiate does not mean that