EFFECTS OF METAPHORS ON CHILDRENS COMPREHENSION AND PERCEPTION OF PRINT ADVERTISEMENTS

In an experiment, children in three grade levels (second, fourth, and sixth) viewed four advertisements. The children were shown advertiseme nts with either metaphors in both pictorial anal verbal form or a lite ral equivalent. The sixth graders interpreted more metaphors correctly than, the fourth and second graders. In terms of recall of advertised content, the sixth and fourth graders recalled brand names, products, and additional copy better than the second graders. Within each grade level, metaphors dial not enhance children's recall of advertised con te,tt or perceptions of the understandability of the advertisements an d liking of the advertised products. The authors speculate that metaph ors are most likely to enhance recall under conditions in, which the m etaphor serves as a direct representation linking the metaphor to the advertised product. Their findings suggest that advertisers should be aware that young readers may have difficulty interpreting metaphors an d that metaphors may not be more effective in terms of children's reca ll and perception, of understandability than literal versions of adver tisements.