Identification of alcohol by smell among young children: an objective measure of early learning in the home.

Abstract

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.