Search

Sexual risk reduction interventions are often ineffective for women who drink alcohol. The present study examines whether an alcohol-related sexual risk reduction intervention successfully trains women to increase assertive communication behaviors and decrease aggressive communication behaviors. Women demonstrated their communication skills during interactive role-plays with male role-play partners. Young, unmarried, and nonpregnant African American women (N = 228, ages 18-24) reporting unprotected vaginal or anal sex and greater than three alcoholic drinks in the past 90 days were randomly assigned to a control, a sexual risk reduction, or a sexual and alcohol risk reduction (NLITEN) condition. Women in the NLITEN condition significantly increased assertive communication behavior compared to women in the control condition, yet use of aggressive communicative behaviors was unchanged. These data suggest assertive communication training is an efficacious component of a sexual and alcohol risk reduction intervention. Public health practitioners and health educators may benefit from group motivational enhancement therapy (GMET) training and adding a GMET module to existing sexual health risk reduction interventions. Future research should examine GMET's efficacy in combination with other evidence-based interventions within other populations and examine talking over and interrupting one's sexual partner as an assertive communication behavior within sexual health contexts.

Drawing upon the theory of reasoned action, the protection motivation theory, and theories of regret, this study proposes and examines three communication strategies to curb the overuse of low-value cancer screening: (a) highlighting negative affective consequences of screening; (b) providing information about diagnostic uncertainty, and (c) using a noncancer disease label. An online survey-based experiment using a 2 (affective message: absent vs. present) × 2 (diagnostic uncertainty information: absent vs. present) × 2 (disease label: thyroid cancer vs. a borderline thyroid neoplasm) full-factorial between-subject design with a control condition was conducted. A total of 612 South Korean women participated. As predicted, the affective message and diagnostic uncertainty information significantly reduced positive attitudes toward screening uptake and anticipated regret regarding screening nonuptake, respectively, thereby reducing screening intention. The noncancer label also reduced screening intention by lowering perceived severity and positive attitude in sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel laboratory experiment was successfully implemented for undergraduate and graduate students in physical chemistry and nanotechnology. The main goal of the experiment was to rigorously determine the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based sensing capabilities of colloidal silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). These were quantified by estimating the analytical enhancement factor (AEF) and surface enhancement factor (SEF) of the AgNPs, that is, the most important values for characterizing the SERS effect. SERS is an embodiment of Raman spectroscopy that currently finds numerous cutting-edge applications. To achieve this, students synthesized a Creighton colloid and characterized its optical properties by UV-vis absorption spectrophotometry. The AEF and SEF values were then estimated from the measured Raman, SERS, and fluorescence emission spectra of a test probe, rhodamine 6G, adsorbed on the colloidal AgNPs. This laboratory experiment introduced the students to the fundamentals of SERS spectroscopy and implicitly to concepts related to light scattering, surface chemistry, and resonance effects. Furthermore, students acquired new instrumental and nanotechnology-related skills that will assist them in technologically demanding careers. (Contains 2 figures.)

The present study examined how adolescents perceive the relationship between smoking and stress and where they learn that smoking cigarettes may be an effective stress-reduction mechanism. Eight focus groups were conducted with low-income African American and European American 14- to 16-year-olds in urban and rural locations, in which they suggested that the primary reasons why they smoked--namely, as a coping mechanism (to calm nerves), for social acceptance, and because of environmental influences. Family issues, boyfriend/girlfriend problems, and school were common stressors. Although participants overwhelmingly believed that people smoke to reduce their stress, a few believed that cigarettes do not actually reduce stress. When asked for examples of smoking in popular media, teens predominantly generated examples of individuals smoking to reduce stress. Ethnic and gender differences were found among the types of media in which they had seen smoking, their opinions of anti-smoking messages, and the media's perceived influence. (Contains 3 notes.)

Examines mechanisms that may account for why evaluations made by participants involved in conversations are more influenced by subliminal negative cues than are evaluations made by observers. Explains three studies in which subliminal priming tasks were used with differing cognitive loads and self-preservation concerns among a group of undergraduate students. Suggests that the subjects were more susceptible to nonconscious processes when they were cognitively busy. (PM)

Proposes a model of unconscious affect. Tests predictions about the influence of nonconscious affect on evaluations made of undergraduate student conversational interactants. Uses a subliminal priming task to induce a positive nonconscious affective response toward the target persons. Rates primed target as more likable and attractive yet not more competent. Finds nonconscious affect was target specific and diffuse. (PA)

States health campaign messages designed to encourage behavior adaptation have greater likelihood of success than campaigns promoting avoidance of at-risk behaviors that cannot be avoided. Tests a model of health risk behavior using four different behaviors in a communication campaign aimed at reducing farmers' risk for skin cancer--questions farmers about skin cancer prevention, detection behaviors, attitudes. (PA)

Child corporal punishment is a prevalent public health problem in the US. Although corporal punishment is sustained through parents' perceptions of social norms supporting this discipline behavior, little research has investigated where these normative perceptions come from. To fill this gap, we conducted 13 focus groups including 75 low-income Black, Latino, and White parents across five states in the US. Results revealed that one influential source of Black and White parents' perceived norms was their positive framing of corporal punishment experiences during childhood. Furthermore, Black parents formed normative perceptions based on identification with parents in their racial/ethnic group, while White parents did so with parents sharing the same generation. Results are interpreted in light of the false consensus effect and self-categorization theory. In contrast, Latino parents viewed their childhood experience of corporal punishment as negative and distanced their parenting practices from those practiced in their countries of origin, suggesting an influence of acculturation. Their perceived norms were likely transmitted through interpersonal communication within their social networks. These findings shed light on how social norms are formed and in turn guide parents' use of corporal punishment as a tool to discipline children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how cognitive structures and processes that highlight some aspects of messages but inhibit the salience of others affect adolescents' processing of public service announcements (PSAs). The cognitive structures assessed were attitude accessibility and decision styles (need for cognition and faith in intuition). A 2 (gender: male vs. female) x 2 (race: Caucasian vs. African American/x 4 (message type) mixed design with message type as a within-subjects factor was utilized. Three hundred twenty-five teens (M age = 14.97) were randomly assigned to view one PSA of each type, presented in a random order. Multilevel modeling analyses showed that attitude accessibility and need for cognition interact with attitude to affect adolescents' biased processing while faith in intuition negatively predicts perceived message bias. Race and gender were also significant predictors of perceived message bias. Implications for message design and health communication are discussed. Keywords: biased processing; attitude accessibility; decision style; need for cognition; faith in intuition; multilevel modeling

Guided by research demonstrating that intoxication impairs cognitive processing, this study examined the effects of drinking on goal-related appraisals and communication behavior during cooperative interactions. In it, 42 male teams played four rounds of a cooperative game whereby one person produced clues and the other guessed the category the clues described. One partner was sober and the other was randomly assigned to drinking condition (sober or breath alcohol count of .08 g/dl). Analyses compared the appraisals and behaviors of the participant randomly assigned to drinking condition. Intoxicated participants felt less anxious and judged games as less challenging yet did not feel they had more control compared to their sober counterparts. Behaviorally, intoxicated participants exhibited more persistence yet were less flexible in goal pursuit than were sober participants. Ultimately, intoxicated-sober dyads had more success than did sober-sober dyads. Implications for message production under the influence of alcohol are discussed. Keywords: goals; social interaction; alcohol; appraisals; message production

A recent report describes a reversible valve that can be used in series to achieve diaphragm pumping on chip (Grover, W. H.; Skelley, A. M.; Liu, C. N.; Lagally, E. T.; and Mathies, R. A. Sens. Actuators, B 2003, 89, 315-323). Here, the functionality of an integrated diaphragm pump on a hybrid PDMS-glass microchip to perform pressure injections for electrophoretic separations is demonstrated. A chip design that can perform both pressure and electrokinetic (EK) injection is described, and a mixture of fluorescein and ROX dyes in borate buffer is utilized as a model sample system. Multiple electrophoretic separations of sample injected with pressure and voltage are compared. Over multiple EK injections, an electrophoretic bias is observed and the injected analytes are not representative of the sample, with the peak area ratio changing 20% after 20 runs. Over multiple pressure injections, however, the sample composition is maintained, with a 3.6% CV over 20 runs. The data presented show the ability to alternate between injection types and pressure-inject a representative sample volume after a bias has already been observed with multiple EK injections. Multiple pressure injections have been performed on sample volumes as low as 500 nL while maintaining sample composition, supporting its use in integrated systems for small-volume sampling.

Despite many changes in heterosexual relationships, there still exists a norm that the man pursues increased intimacy and the woman serves as a 'gatekeeper' by either complying with or denying [...]

The expressed goals of women's refusals to unwanted requests for increased intimacy were examined. It was hypothesized that alcohol consumption would influence expressed goals such that intoxicated women would be less likely to express concern for secondary goals (protection of self image, requester image, and relationship) than would sober women. The influence of request type and request persistence was also examined. Although alcohol consumption did not significantly influence the degree to which women expressed the primary (refusing clearly) and secondary goals, request type and request persistence had significant effects. Results are discussed in relation to Alcohol Myopia Theory and the sexual/relational refusal literature., PREVIOUS RESEARCH finds that alcohol consumption is a positive predictor of sexual assault (Koss & Dinero, 1989; Ullman, Karabatosos, & Koss, 1999). Muehlenhard and Linton (1987) report that 55 percent [...]

The author illustrates the rewritings of the most influential French poem 'Roman de la Rose' by Clement Marot in his poem 'Temple de Cupido'.

The current studies examine mechanisms that may account for why evaluations made by participants involved in conversations are more influenced by subliminal negative cues than are evaluations made by observers. In Study 1 a subliminal priming task was used to induce a positive, a negative, or no affective response toward a confederate. Participants under either a low or high cognitive load (CL) then evaluated a confederate engaged in a conversation. Evaluations made by high CL participants were most affected by the negative subliminal prime. In Study 2 an alternative CL induction was used and, in addition, we also induced self-presentation (SP) concerns. High SP participants rated confederates more positively, however, SP did not interact with priming. High CL participants again were most affected by the negative subliminal prime. Yet another CL induction was used in Study 3. The results of Study 3 replicate findings from Study 2. Results suggest that people are more susceptible to nonconscious processes when they are cognitively busy, nonconscious negative affect produces stronger effects than positive affect, and the effects of negative nonconscious affect on evaluations of conversations is dependent on the type of cognitive load task.

Alcohol myopia theory and relational framing theory were used to explain how alcohol consumption affects perceptions of sexual scenarios. In a within-subjects design, participants (N = 51) evaluated scenarios that emphasized consensual cues only and scenarios with consensual and nonconsensual sexual behaviors (mixed cues). Participants read both scenario types at three blood alcohol levels (.00, .04, and .08 g/dl). Participants viewed affiliation judgments as significantly more relevant than dominance judgements when evaluating the consensual scenarios, regardless of their level of alcohol consumption. For the mixed cues scenarios, participants did not view either dimension as more relevant when sober; when drinking, they viewed dominance judgments as more relevant. As alcohol consumption increased, women were more likely to report that they would act like the female in both scenario types, whereas men were more likely to act like the male in the consensual scenario only.

This study examines how consuming alcohol differentially affects the communicative behavior and perceptions of high and low social self-esteem (SSE) women as they engage in a brief interaction with a flirtatious mate. Alcohol myopia theory proposes that alcohol affects behavior when it blocks a person's normal inhibitions about enacting a behavior. It was predicted that low SSE women would be more inhibited when talking to a flirtatious male than would high SSE women and, therefore, that alcohol would have a stronger effect on the low SSE women's behavior. Following administration of a social self-esteem measure and random assignment to an alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverage condition, participants (N = 50) talked with an attractive, flirtatious male confederate. Low SSE women were less anxious and self-disclosed more when drinking than when sober, whereas high SSE women were not significantly affected by alcohol consumption. The discussion highlights the complex and often contradictory effects of alcohol consumption on social interaction.

The present research examines how alcohol, or even the illusion of imbibing alcohol, affects women's perceived self-efficacy for avoiding HIV. Women (N=82) were randomly assigned to one of four conditions in a 2 (alcohol or no alcohol) x 2 (expect alcohol or not) balanced placebo design. After consuming alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverages, participants assessed their self-efficacy for HIV risk prevention. Both alcohol consumption and alcohol expectancy increased women's confidence that they could detect whether a potential partner was HIV positive simply by interacting with the potential partner.

A study was conducted to analyze the potential dependence of the adhesion force between a Si3N4 cantilever and a Au(111) surface altered by the underpotential deposition of bismuth or copper in acid solution or by oxide formation. Results indicated that the readsorption of sulfate correlated with the underpotential deposition of copper. Findings also showed that potential-dependent differences associated with the adhesion between an atomic force microscope tip and a surface in the electrochemical environment can be sensitive probe of the state of the electrode surface.

A model of nonconscious affect is proposed and an experiment tests predictions about the influence of nonconscious affect on evaluations made of conversational interactants. Participants engaged in a subliminal priming task to induce a positive nonconscious affective response toward one of two target persons. Participants then watched two videotaped interactions (one featured the subliminally primed target person) and rated a target person from each interaction. A 3 x 2 x 2 mixed experimental design crossed Target Primed (Target A, B, or No Prime) and Order of Evaluation (A vs. B first), whereas the third factor (Target Evaluated was within subjects. The primed target was rated as more likable and attractive yet not more competent. The nonconscious affect was target specific (affecting judgements of the primed target) and diffuse judgments of a nonprimed target).

Integrating Zajonc's affective Primacy framework with Steele and Southwick's Inhibitory Conflict Model, we hypothesized that alcohol would have its strongest impact when one's initial affective reaction was in direct conflict with more cognitively based inhibitory cues. In an alcohol by expectancy balanced placebo design, women viewed potential partners from a fictitious video dating service who varied in attractiveness and sexual risk. Only under high inhibitory conflict (i.e., an attractive, sexually risky partner) did alcohol enhance perceived relationship potential. Interestingly, women who consumed alcohol were not less likely to notice risk cues than their sober counterparts. Alcohol expectancy resulted in both lower estimates of risk and elevated estimates of relationship potential for the high inhibitory conflict target. Thus, in situations involving high but not low inhibitory conflict, alcohol and alcohol expectancy may suppress the impact of inhibitory cues, enabling women to more readily pursue their initial affective reactions., Unprotected sex between a man and a woman is responsible for three quarters of HIV cases worldwide (Centers for Disease Control, 1995). Despite widespread awareness of methods of transmission and [...]

Although health campaigns promote avoidance of behaviors that put an individual's health at risk, often these behaviors cannot be avoided, and campaign messages designed to encourage behavior adaptation afford greater likelihood of success. With that in mind, a model of health risk behavior adaptation was proposed and tested using four different behaviors in a communication campaign aimed at reducing farmers' risk for skin cancer. Farmers and farm wives answered a series of questions about their skin cancer prevention and detection behaviors and attitudes. Interpersonal expectancies, social resources, and actual procedural knowledge predicted perceived procedural knowledge and public commitment, which, in turn, predicted behavior adaptation.

Affect deriving from - independent sources - repeated exposure and affective priming - was induced, and the combined effects were examined. In each of 4 studies, participants were first shown 72 Chinese ideographs in which the frequency of exposure was varied (0, 1, or 3). In the second phase participants rated ideographs that were primed either positively, negatively, or not at all. The 4 studies were identical except that the exposure duration - suboptimal (4 ms) or optimal (1 s) - of both the initial exposure phase and the subsequent priming phase was orthogonally varied. Additivity of affect was obtained only when affective priming was suboptimal, suggesting that nonconscious affect is diffuse. Affect whose source was apparent was more constrained. Interestingly, increases in liking generated through repeated exposures did not differ as a function of exposure duration.

This study investigated why conversational participants view their partner more positively than do observers of the conversation. Two factors were hypothesized to account for the positivity bias of participants: self-presentation concerns and cognitive load. Thirty dyads engaged in a brief conversation and participants subsequently evaluated each other. Observers, assigned to 1 of 4 conditions in a balanced 2 x 2 (high/low cognitive load by present/absent self-presentation concerns) design, watched a videotape of one conversation and evaluated one of the conversational participants. Results indicate that cognitive load influenced social competence evaluations yet had minimal influence on affective evaluations. Self-presentation concerns influenced all evaluations to be more positive; however, its strongest influence was on affective evaluations. Post-interaction evaluations made by participants and observers were also compared to first impressions of a target (impressions formed after 2-4 seconds of exposure). Evaluations made by participants were significantly more positive than first impressions across all evaluations. Evaluations by observers in the no self-presentation concerns/low cognitive load condition were more negative than first impressions, although this difference was significant only for the social competence judgments. Implications for theories of person perception and affect are discussed.

The two controversial institutional values, the particular discipline value and the value which combines completely opposite views, have retarded the development of communication studies rather than increasing the development. The primary reason is that the scholars advocating the two different views have always been in conflict and never in agreement. They have considered the discipline level values in isolation and not in a referential context. The disciplinary conflicts are caused primarily due to connectedness, creativity, pluralism and social relevance. The social, economic and intellectual conditions reveal the relative importance of the values.

The purpose of this study was to analyze televised public service announcements (PSAs) on acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) to determine how health communicators had responded to the challenge of developing messages on sensitive health issues for mass audiences. Specifically, this article reports the findings of a content analysis of 127 televised AIDS PSAs, focusing on two key issues that campaign planners face: (a) selecting and adapting to target audiences and (b) motivating behavior change as well as disseminating information. The results show that these PSAs generally were not targeted according to risk behavior--most were directed to general audiences. Messages tended to use rational rather than emotional appeals and encouraged the audience to seek more information rather than adopt a specific preventive behavior. A similar pattern was observed when we examined targeting based on ethnicity status. Little motivational content was included in these PSAs. The spots analyzed provide facts to the audience about the disease and provide ways in which more information can be obtained. The spots did not discuss the possible barriers the audience may encounter when they try to use their knowledge.

Examines the role of state health department dental offices as linking agents in the diffusion of an effective preventive health program, the fluoride mouthrinse program, in public schools. (JOW)

The effectiveness and benefits of using the tangential flow ultrafiltration technique for appropriate size selection and concentration of silver nanoparticles in the SERS-based biosensors are analyzed. The method is shown to be much more effective and accurate, as compared to the other traditional approaches.