SENSITIVITY TO INDIRECT CONTACTS WITH OTHER PERSONS - AIDS AVERSION AS A COMPOSITE OF AVERSION TO STRANGERS, INFECTION, MORAL TAINT, AND MISFORTUNE

College students and their parents rated their willingness to wear swe aters previously worn by a target person described as having AIDS, ano ther infectious illness (tuberculosis), a misfortune (maimed in automo bile accident), moral taint (convicted murderer), or simply as a healt hy but unknown man. Parallel ratings were obtained with respect to bed s slept in or automobiles previously owned by the same set of target p ersons. Results indicated that there are strong individual differences in sensitivity to 4 sources of aversion to indirect interpersonal con tagion: infection, misfortune, immorality, and unfamiliarity. Individu al sensitivity to any one of these sources predicts sensitivity to the others (rs in the .30s). Aversion to indirect contact with a person w ith AIDS (by sweater, bed, or car) includes all 4 sources of aversion.