Children's conceptions of AIDS: a developmental analysis.
Examined causal reasoning about AIDS in children representing three major phases of cognitive development: prelogical, concrete logical, and formal logical thinking. 60 Ss (age groups: 5-7 years, 8-10 years, and 11-13 years) were administered the Concepts of AIDS Protocol. Responses were scored using the developmentally ordered Concepts of Illness Category System. The data confirm that, as a group, children's causal thinking about AIDS parallels the ways in which children think about illness in general. More specifically, the data could be organized in terms of 6 major categories or ways in which children conceptualize AIDS and its causes. The findings provide an initial empirical foundation for AIDS education curricula.
Walsh
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Division of Counseling Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02167.
Bibace
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D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015984:Causality; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D003479:Curriculum; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D002666:Psychology, Child