Parasocial Relationships and Children’s Food Preferences

We expanded our research on parasocial relationships with children’s favorite characters to their favorite media characters who market foods to them.  We investigated children’s knowledge of media characters who market foods to them, and the strength of their parasocial relationships with the media characters they select as their favorite.  Through this approach, we can better understand how parasocial relationships with media characters can influence children’s food preferences.  Click here to read the full study.

DW App Study

In this study, children played a tablet app game that featured DW from Arthur choosing healthy foods to gain energy and avoiding unhealthy foods to lose energy.  We then asked children which foods help DW and themselves gain energy and which foods ‘zap’ DW and their own energy. Click here to read the full study.

iPad Credibility Study

Our lab investigated how familiarity influences the credibility (i.e. trustworthiness) of media characters by having children play a fruit-naming game on an iPad with a familiar character (Elmo) and an unfamiliar character (DoDo, a children’s character, that is popular in Taiwan).  In addition to learning about how young children determine credibility, we investigated how children interact with and use touchscreen technology.  Results indicated that children trusted accurate rather than familiar characters when faced with novel objects.  Click here to read the full study.

Advergame Marketing to Children

As part of our childhood obesity initiative, the Children’s Digital Media Center conducted an experimental study to assess the effects of Internet food marketing on children. Third and fourth grade students chose healthier snacks after playing a health-promoting advergame.

This study was published in the July 2009 issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, a publication of the American Medical Association. Professor Calvert presented these findings at the Food Presentation and New Media Conference, sponsored by the Department of Health and the UK Association for the Study of Obesity, in London, England.

Click here to read the full study.