The Influence Of Construal Level,Advertising Appeal On Children’s Attitude Toward Advertising

Objective:The purpose of this study is to research the effect of construal level, advertising appeal on children’s attitude toward different advertising. Researching the development of children’s construal level is also the purpose of this study.Methods:The study is divided into two parts. The first part investigates children’s construal level by sending questionnaires.1200students from north of Jiangsu province take part in experiment including grade3, grade5, grade7and grade9.The study measures children’s age, sex, grade and construal level by Behavior Identification Form which is scaled by Vallacher and Wegner in1987.In the second part, there are five2(psychological distance)*2(advertising appeal) mixed factorials designs. Psychological distance is between subjects, advertising appeal is inside subjects. Attitude toward advertising is dependent variable.This part of study is divided into five experiments on the base of four psychological distances (temporal distance, spatially distant, social distance and possibility).Subjects are not repeated, everyone of them only takes part in one experiment. First, they are informed essential information, then do a free association text, read different advertising and complete questionnaire of attitude toward advertising.Results:(1) There are77.2%subjects with high construal level. There are significant grade differences in the development of Children’s construal level (F(3.971)=5.859,p=0.001<0.05).However there are no significant gender differences in the development of children’s construal level(t=-0.227,p=0.820>0.05).(2) There is no significant correlation between children’s inherent construal level and construal level which is controlled(r=0.004,p=0.570>0.05).(3)In near psychological distance.There are significant gender differences in children’s construal level which is controlled (t=-2.161,p=0.01<0.05).(4) There is significant result in mental representation according to different psychological distance (temporal distance t=3.253,p=0.001<0.01;spatial distant p=0.029<0.05;social distancel r=-2.032,p=0.045<0.05;social distance2t=-2.660: p=0.009<0.05;possibibty t=-2.635,p=0.01<0.05).(5) Children like rational advertising more then emotional advertising in far psychological distance. They like emotional advertising more then rational advertising in near psychological distance.(temporal distance Zfar=-3.00,p=0.002<0.05,Znear=-4.484,p=0.000<0.001;spatial distant Zfar=-2.069,p=0.039<0.05,Znear=-4.198,p=0.000<0.001:social distancel Zfar=-3.693,p=0.000<0.001,Znear=-2.801,p=0.005<0.01social distance2Zfar=-5.909,p=0.000<0.001,Znear=-2.067,p=0.039<0.05;possibility Zfar=-3.467, p=0.001<0.01,Znear=-2.515,p=0.012<0.05).(6)There are significant temporal distance effect and (temporal distance)*(advertising appeal) interaction effect(F(1.184)=48.180,p=0.000<0.001;F(1.184)=5.714, p=0.017<0.05). There are significant spatial distant effect, advertising appeal effect and (spatial distance)*(advertising appeal) interaction effect(F(1.52)=8.959, p=0.003<0.05;F(1.52)=7.047,p=0.009<0.05;F(1.52)=34.009,p=0.000<0.001).There is significant (social distance)*(advertising appeal) interaction effect in personal decision making and others decision making (F(1.92)=17.979,p=0.000<0.001). There are significant social distant effect and (social distance)*(advertising appeal) interaction effect in familiar product and strange product (F(1.101)=15.723, P<0.001;F(1.101)=60.098,p=0.000<0.001). There is significant (possibility distance)*(advertising appeal) interaction effect (F(1.51)=22.173,p=0.000<0.001).Conclusions:(1) The development of children’s (9-15year-old) construal level is stable. Most of them have high construal level.(2) Totalitily, the higher grade they are, the higher construal level they are.The key time of development of construal level is grade seven.The construal level of children in grade nine develop fast. (3) According to different psychological distance, there is significant result in mental representation of advertising products(4) Children like rational advertising more then emotional advertising in far psychological distance. They like emotional advertising more then rational advertising in near psychological distance.