Assesses the magnitude and incidence of experimentally determined deceptive advertising decisions in supermarket advertisements. Shows that many reduced-priced items are displayed less prominently, lessening a consumer's ability to show economically. (RL)

Defines and traces the origins of the consumer movement and uses communication theories to explain the effects of the movement. Available from: Public Relations Review, Ray Hiebert, Dean, College of Journalism, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742. (MH)

Consumer educators can help students develop consumer/citizen roles through curricula linking consumer rights with citizen responsibilities. Dialogue about issues, community needs assessment, and community volunteer service enable students to practice citizen roles. (SK)

Although courts and legislators usually set legal standards that correspond to empirical knowledge of human behavior, recent developments in behavioral psychology have led courts to appreciate the limits and errors in consumer decision making. "Reasonable consumer" standards that are congruent with cognitive reality should be developed.…

The booklet is an informational and educational tool designed to help a consumer do three things: (1) to communicate more effectively with those who provide the products and services he or she buys; (2) to locate sources of help; and (3) to resolve complaints in the most effective manner. The booklet contains two major parts. Part 1, "How To…

This report provides expert opinion on the problems of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and ways to inform the public of teratogenic risk of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. In the absence of firm evidence that moderate drinking of alcoholic beverages leads to FAS and uncertainty concerning the effectiveness of labeling of alcoholic beverages, a…

This booklet summarizes a conference on consumer education which was held for educators, community leaders, program administrators, consumer advocates, and journalists to introduce the principal issues facing consumers and to explore effective program designs and teaching methods and materials. Following a brief executive summary of the conference…

Low-income consumers badly need special purchasing skills, due to merchandising practices and greater markups for durable goods in low-income communities. The author discusses some of the ways in which these people are victimized, with implications for consumer education. (MF)

Discusses the health hazards resulting from chemical additions of many common products such as cough syrups, food dyes, and cosmetics. Steps being taken to protect consumers from these health hazards are included. (MDR)

Described is a course in the chemistry of consumer goods, for both chemistry students and non-science majors, at the University of Miami. This course is intended to bridge the gap between the world of the chemist in the laboratory and the life of the ordinary consumer. (BT)

This review of the current state of affairs in the enterprise of sex therapy makes it clear that quality controls are lacking. In the absence of effective controls, the patient couple seeking sex therapy must be very wary before entering treatment. (Author/AM)

Some of the issues that confront people contemplating psychotherapy are discussed. These include questions about how to choose the right professional, how to behave appropriately during treatment, what techniques are available, and how and when to end therapy. (IS)

Full disclosure of ingredients on food, drugs, and cosmetic labels is really non-disclosure where the chemical formulation has no common name or where one generic name covers a variety of formations. The Food and Drug Administration offers suggestions for adult education programs in consumer awareness, understanding compound nomenclature, and…

The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) enactment of a change in the time-honored concept of the holder-in-due-course applies to consumer credit sales contracts and consumer service contracts. The holder-in-due-course concept is discussed in terms of the old ruling, new ruling, effect of ruling, abuses cited by the FTC, and implications for the…

An experiment with 766 homeowners compared 3 strategies for delivering radon test results to homeowners. Small improvements in consumer satisfaction were found for personalized messages (a telephone call or personal letter) over a form letter. No detectable improvement was found in recall of advice or compliance for any strategy. (SLD)