Ml. Osborne et al., DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRESSION IN CHILDRENS KNOWLEDGE OF AIDS - IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATION AND ATTITUDINAL CHANGE, Journal of pediatric psychology, 18(2), 1993, pp. 177-192
The effectiveness of curricula designed to enhance a child's understan
ding of AIDS may hinge partially upon incorporating information adjust
ed to the child's developmental status. Accordingly, we examined the d
evelopmental progression of children's understanding of illness transm
ission in general and AIDS in particular, as well as explored the rela
tion between a child's knowledge of AIDS and his/her attitudes toward
persons with AIDS. Knowledge of AIDS was manipulated through use of a
brief educational intervention. Results support a developmental progre
ssion in knowledge about AIDS that is consistent with progressions rel
ated to illnesses in general. Knowledge enhancement was associated wit
h positive changes in attitude.