Unofficial FTC judgments of deception Vs. Adults' and students' judgments of deception

Ninety-six adults and one hundred seventy-eight students rated five experimental television advertisements for their deceptiveness. These ratings were then compared with the ratings of four attorneys, active in the evaluation of actual advertisements at the Federal Trade Commission. Both students and adults did not agree with the unofficial deception ratings made by the attorneys at the Federal Trade Commission. Although there was major disagreement between the subject groups and the FTC, it was difficult to determine whether subjects had been literally deceived by the ads or whether true disagreement existed.