THE MEDIA CAN HAVE MORE THAN AN IMPERSONAL IMPACT - THE CASE OF AIDS RISK PERCEPTIONS AND BEHAVIOR

Two field survey studies concerning AIDS tested Tyler and Cook's (1984 ) impersonal- and differential-impact models of the effects of exposur e to communication channels on perceptions of personal and social risk . Contrary to the impersonal-impact hypothesis, when media exposure wa s decomposed into news and entertainment, there was on impact on perso nal risk. Exposure to entertainment programs (e.g., movies and sitcoms ) that dealt with AIDS was related to increased judgments of personal risk. The data suggest (but not conclusively) that exposure to news pr ograms covering AIDS may have decreased personal-risk perceptions. Per ceived personal risk and, in Study 2, conversations with peers, elders , and health professionals, were related to people changing their beha vior in an appropriate manner. The results have implications for media -effects studies, risk analysis, and communication campaigns.