Strukturmodeli zur Vorherbestimmung von Verenderungen praventiver Verhaltensformen bezuglich AIDS

U radu je izložen strukturalni model za predikciju promjena preventivnih ponašanja u svezi s AIDS-om kod mladih ljudi. Model je evaluiran pomoću procjena maksimalne vjerojatnosti, dobivenih uporabom računalnog programa LISRELVII. Egzogene varijable u modelu su: socio-ekonomski status, demografski status i dob. Model pretpostavlja da ove varijable uzrokuju znanje i stavove o AIDS-u koji, u nastavku procesa, uzrokuju percepciju osobne ugroženosti. Pretpostavljeno je da posljednja varijabla uzrokuje promjene u ponašanju koje imaju za cilj prevenciju AIDS-a. Model je testiran na četiri nezavisna uzorka, svaki od po N=200 mladih osoba. Sest od sedam indeksa podudarnosti sugeriraju prihvatljivu podudarnost modela s empirijskim podacima. Raspravljene su posljedice za prevenciju AIDS-a.A structural model for prediction of AIDS-relevant behavioral changes in young people was developed and evaluated by using full information maximum likelihood estimates obtained from LISRELVII computer program. Exogenous variables in the model are: soci o-economic status, demographic status, and age. The model holds that these variables determine AIDS-relevant knowledge and attitudes, which in turn cause perception of personal susceptibility to harm. The latter variable causes AIDS-preventive behavioral changes. The model was tested on four independent samples, each consisting of N=200 young individuals. Six out of seven goodness-of-fit indices suggest acceptable fit of the model. Implications for AIDS-prevention programs are discussed.Die Arbeit prčisentiert ein StrukturmodelI zur Vorherbestimmung prčiventiver Verhaltensformen junger Menschen bezOglich AIDS. Die Auswertung des Modells erfolgte mit Hilfe von Einschčitzungen maximaler Wahrscheinlichkeit, die durch das Computerprogramm LISRELVII ermittelt wurden. Exogene Variablen im Modeli sind: der sozio-čkonornische Status, der demographische Status und das Alter. Das Modeli geht davon aus, daB diese Varia bien einen bestimmten Wissensstand und eine bestimmte Einstellung bezOglich AIDS hervorrufen, welche in der Folge die Perzeption der eigenen Gefčihrdung beeinflussen. Man nimmt an, daB die le1ztgenannte Variable Verhaltensčinderungen bewirkt, die eine Vorbeugung gegen AIDS zum Ziel haben. Das Modeli wurde an vier voneinander unabhčingigen Personengruppen getestet (N = 200 Jugendliche). Sechs von sieben Koinzidenz-Indexen suggerieren, daB das Modeli auf eine akzeptable Weise mit empirischen Daten Obereinstimmt. AbschlieBend werden die Folgen der AIDS-Prčivention er6rtert

Strukturmodell zur Vorherbestimmung von Veraenderungen praeventiver Verhaltensformen bezueglich AIDS

A structural model for prediction of AIDS-relevant behavioral changes in young people was developed and evaluated by using full information maximum likelihood estimates obtained from LISREL VII computer program. Exogenous variables in the model are: socio-economic status, demographic status, and age. The model holds that these variables determine AIDS-relevant knowledge and attitudes, which in turn cause perception of personal susceptibility to harm. The latter variable causes AIDS-preventive behavioral changes. The model was tested on four independent samples, each consisting of N=200 young individuals. Six out of seven goodness-of-fit indices suggest acceptable fit of the model. Implications for AIDS-prevention programs are discussed.U radu je izložen strukturalni model za predikciju promjena preventivnih ponašanja u svezi s AIDS-om kod mladih ljudi. Model je evaluiran pomoću procjena maksimalne vjerojatnosti, dobivenih uporabom računalnog programa LISREL VII. Egzogene varijable u modelu su: socio-ekonomski status, demografski status i dob. Model pretpostavlja da ove varijable uzrokuju znanje i stavove o AIDS-u koji, u nastavku procesa, uzrokuju percepciju osobne ugroženosti. Pretpostavljeno je da posljednja varijabla uzrokuje promjene u ponašanju koje imaju za cilj prevenciju AIDS-a. Model je testiran na četiri nezavisna uzorka, svaki od po N=200 mladih osoba. Sest od sedam indeksa podudarnosti sugeriraju prihvatljivu podudarnost modela s empirijskim podacima. Raspravljene su posljedice za prevenciju AIDS-a.Die Arbeit praesentiert ein Strukturmodell zur Vorherbestimmung praeventiver Verhaltensformen junger Menschen bezueglich AIDS. Die Auswertung des Modells erfolgte mit Hilfe von Einschaetzungen maximaler Wahrscheinlichkeit, die durch das Computerprogramm LISREL VII ermittelt wurden. Exogene Variablen im Modell sind: der sozio-oekonomische Status, der demographische Status und das Alter. Das Modell geht davon aus, dass diese Variablen einen bestimmten Wissensstand und eine bestimmte Einstellung bezueglich AIDS hervorrufen, welche in der Folge die Perzeption der eigenen Gefaehrdung beeinflussen. Man nimmt an, dass die letztgenannte Variable Verhaltensaenderungen bewirkt, die eine Vorbeugung gegen AIDS zum Ziel haben. Das Modell wurde an vier voneinander unabhaengigen Personengruppen getestet (N = 200 Jugendliche). Sechs von sieben Koinzidenz-Indexen suggerieren, dass das Modell auf eine akzeptable Weise mit empirischen Daten Obereinstimmt. AbschlieBend werden die Folgen der AIDS-Praevention eroertert

Predicting AIDS-induced behavioral change in the general population of young people

Sets of individual-psychological and sociodemographic variables for predicting self-reported AIDS-relevant behavioral change were examined. The self-completing questionnaire used in the study contained scales of knowledge and attitudes about AIDS, sex and drug abuse experience scales, and six behavioral change scales. It was anonymously administered to 2,655 young people of both sexes, 15-30 years of age, living in 18 cities and towns, regularly employed or attending school. The overall level of knowledge was high and the attitudes moderately liberal. Regression analyses showed that only a small fraction of variance in any of the six behavioral change criteria (sex, drugs, personal concern chance of contracting the disease, desire for more knowledge, and nonfunctional practices) could be attributed to the four predictors presumed to influence the criteria directly (sex risk index, drugs risk index knowledge, and attitudes). The prediction improved when another 10 variables with assumed indirect influence were included. Socioeconomic status and the drug abuse risk index were most predictive of behavior change. Knowledge and attitudes proved to be poor predictors. It is stressed that the social and cultural specifics in planning prevention activities must be observed

Relations Between Status Characteristics and Social Attitudes of Adolescents

Relacije statusnog položaja, definiranog sa 31 indikatorom položaja na socijalizacijskom, institucionalnom i sankcijskom subsistemu, i rezultata u skalama za procjenu odnosa prema samoupravljanju, kleronacionalizma, autoritarnosti, konformizma i socijalnog hostiliteta analizirane su, pod modelom kanoničke analize kovarijanci, na uzorku od 756 ispitanika muškog spola, starih od 19 do 27 godina, reprezentativnom za jugoslovensku populaciju ove dobi i spola. Nađena je osrednja kvazikanonička korelacija između statusnog položaja, definiranog osobito obrazovnom i kulturalnom razinom ispitanika i njegovih roditelja, i vrijednosnog sklopa definiranog odsustvom socijalnog hostiliteta i suženom razinom kleronacionalizma, autoritarnosti i konformizma.Relations between social status, defined by 31 indicators of the position in the socialization, institutional and sanctional subsystem, and the results on scales for the estimation of attitudes toward self-management, cleronationalism, authoritarianism, conformism and social hostility, were analyzed under the model of canonical analysis, on a sample of 756 male subjects, between 19 and 27 years of age, representative of Yugoslav population of that age and sex. Medium quasi-canonical correlation was found between status position, defined particularly by the educational and cultural level of the subjects and their parents, and the value pattern, defined by the absence of social hostility and narrow level of cleronationalism, authoritarianism and conformism

Group size, power allocation, and change: Effects on conceptual representations of group interaction

This study examined conceptual representations of interactions between stable and changed minority and majority factions within groups that allocated power either according to size (power = size) or randomly. In support of the hypothesized moderating effect of power allocation, it was found that both stable and changed minority and majority factions represented their interactions at low levels of inclusiveness when power was allocated according to size. When, however, power was not associated with size, stable majorities, but not stable minorities, represented group interactions at the inclusive level of a single group. Loss of the majority position significantly decreased this inclusive level of representation but gain of the majority position did not result in the corresponding increase. Nevertheless, the new majority in the random power condition represented its interaction with others at a significantly higher level of inclusiveness than did the new majority in the “power = size” condition. These results suggest that associating power with size invariably places interactions between the majority and the minority into the inter-group domain. Dissociating power from size, however, places such interactions within the intra-group domain for the stable majority and creates a potential for a similar socio-categorical structuring for the new majority (former minority)

On the effects of changes in group status

Change is very frequent sociopsychological phenomena, that we notice when transformations from minority to majority, high to low social status, weak to strong social position and vice versa are being conducted. Causes of change are described in literature that deals with attitudes and persuasion, group dynamics, conformity and group development. But we lack the information concerned with consequences of change. This article describes three subjects related to this problem: (i) assessment and evaluation of personal change, (ii) assessment and evaluation of social change and (iii) reactions to change-related agents in a group context. The author introduces a series of experiments based on loss-gain asymmetry (Tversky & Kahneman, 1991). The results implicate that assessment and evaluation of change is influenced by different agents like the direction of comparison (comparing past to present or vice versa), desirability of stability or change of attitudes, maintaining the positive views about the self or the group, gain or loss of group status or power. The change of group status leads to change in the perception of group-self similarity and group attraction, expectancies about future group interactions and group self-evaluation. Change of group status and power is a central determinant of intergroup relations