Identification of alcohol by smell among young children: an objective measure of early learning in the home.
Familiarity with alcoholic beverages was assessed by means of a modified version of Jahoda and Cramond's 'Recognition of Smells' task (Jahoda, G. and Cramond, J. (1972) Children and Alcohol, HMSO, London). Two hundred and thirty-eight Scottish and English children aged 5.5-6.5, 7.5-8.5 and 9.5-10.5 years participated. When verbal identification was aided by pictorial cues, almost 95% of the sample identified at least one of the alcoholic beverages. Moreover, alcoholic beverages were identified significantly more often than non-alcoholic substances. The results highlight the early age at which awareness of alcohol begins, and emphasise the importance of children's home-based learning experiences in the development of alcohol cognitions. Both have important implications for alcohol education.
Fossey
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Department of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages; D001364:Awareness; D001515:Beer; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012903:Smell; D012931:Social Environment