title: Do adolescents take "baby think it over" seriously?
abstract: Infant simulators are a popular means for providing a realistic experience of caring for an infant and are often used as a supplement in sexuality education programs. The goal of this activity is to help adolescents realize the enormous responsibility that raising a child entails and to motivate them to avoid risking pregnancy. The little research conducted to date on the effectiveness of infant simulators has yielded mixed results. The present study compared the reactions of 8th- and 10th-grade males and females at the end of their experience with infant simulators. Data were collected via student surveys and technical readouts from the simulators. Overall, the findings support the use of infant simulators, with the impact being greater for females and the younger group (8th graders). Data from the simulators were consistent with the self-reports. These promising results support the continued use of infant simulators, but further research with stronger experimental designs and long-term follow-up is needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Sociology and Counseling, Northwest Missouri State University, 800 University Drive, Maryville, Missouri 64468, USA. barnett@mail.nwmissouri.edu
authors.forename: Jerrold E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.forename: Cynthia S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Hurst
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D002668:Child Rearing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D012736:Sex Education; D012746:Sexual Abstinence; D012725:Sexual Behavior