A study examined the effects of factors (including television, family, peers, age, and socioeconomic status) on consumer socialization, the process by which individuals develop consumption-related cognitions and behaviors. The specific criterion variables studied included consumer affairs knowledge, puffery filtering, consumer finance management, and brand preferences. Initial questionnaires were administered to 556 subjects in grades six through twelve, and a second wave of questionnaires was given to a subsample of 230 students 14 months later. The results indicated that the amount of television viewing was related positively to adolescents' discontent with the consumption process and with their attitudes toward the marketplace. It was negatively related to puffery filtering. The family appeared to play a relatively minor role in the development of consumer skills. Peer communication about consumption was associated positively with consumer discontent. The more money the youths had available, the more likely they were to expect to purchase major items in the near future. Upper class adolescents were more likely than their lower class counterparts to be able to filter puffery in advertising, as were first born youths. Age was positively associated with brand preference, ability to manage consumer finances, and level of consumer affairs knowledge. (HTH)