Objective: To examine preschoolers’ attitudes, expectations, and perceptions of tobacco and alcohol use.

Design: Structured observational study. Children used props and dolls to act out a social evening for adults. As part of the role play, each child selected items from a miniature grocery store stocked with 73 different products, including beer, wine, and cigarettes, for an evening with friends.

Setting: A behavioral laboratory at the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College.

Patients: One hundred twenty children, 2 to 6 years old, participated individually in the role-playing. .

Main Outcome Measure: Whether or not a child purchased cigarettes or alcohol at the store.

Conclusions: The data suggest that observation of adult behavior, especially parental behavior, may influence preschool children to view smoking and drinking as appropriate or normative in social situations. These perceptions may relate to behaviors adopted later in life.”

“We postulate that positive expectations developed early in life that link tobacco and alcohol use with social settings may prompt individuals to smoke or drink when they are old enough to find themselves in similar social situations.”

“However, our study is the first to demonstrate that preschool children possess social cognitive scripts of adult social life in which the use of alcohol and tobacco play central roles. Children not only demonstrated their knowledge of alcohol and tobacco, but their behavior indicated that they have assimilated it as part of their understanding of how adults socialize.”

“Adults are often reluctant to introduce the topic of alcohol or tobacco to young children because they are afraid that it may be too suggestive. Others do not believe that children think about tobacco or alcohol at such a young age. However, the results of this study demonstrate that expectations regarding the use of cigarettes and alcohol. The data suggest that observation of adult behavior, especially parental behavior, may influence preschool children to view smoking and drinking as appropriate or normative in social situations.”

This research suggests an even more profound effect of parental behavioral on future choices of their children than earlier predicted