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Communication and consistency: AIDS talk and AIDS attitudes
1Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, England, United Kingdom. mansur.laljee@psy.ox.ac.uk
The Journal of Psychology
|March 10, 2001
Summary
Frequent conversations about a topic, like acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), correlate with consistent attitudes. This suggests social discussions shape individual beliefs and identity expression.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Communication Studies
Background:
- Attitude consistency is influenced by interpersonal communication.
- Social talk plays a role in identity expression and belief formation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that talk frequency relates to attitude consistency.
- To explore the link between social conversations and attitude formation.
Main Methods:
- A questionnaire was administered to 73 university students.
- Data collected on attitudes and conversation frequency regarding acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Main Results:
- A significant positive correlation was found between talk frequency and attitude consistency.
- Discussion environments regarding AIDS were found to be homogeneous.
Conclusions:
- Social talk frequency is a predictor of attitude consistency.
- Homogeneous discussion environments reinforce existing attitudes, impacting attitude formation and change.