The effects of pretesting and group discussion on reactions to an AIDS education videotape

Keilty, Shelley Anne (1993) The effects of pretesting and group discussion on reactions to an AIDS education videotape. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The present study examined the effects of pretesting and group discussion on reactions to an AIDS educational videotape. One hundred and twenty undergraduates participated in 3-person groups of friends. Before viewing the 20-minute videotape, half of the subjects were given a pretest of their knowledge of AIDS, their attitudes about AIDS, and their estimates of risk and the importance of preventive measures for target persons in various categories. After viewing the videotape, half of the pretested and half of the non-pretested subjects engaged in discussion with their friends. Finally, all subjects completed a post-test, identical to the pretest completed earlier by half of the subjects, with the exception of a videotape knowledge questionnaire. – Group discussion, especially when it followed pretesting, made subjects more willing to accept the threat that AIDS poses to heterosexuals as well as to homosexuals. Although pretest and discussion combined to enhance subjects’ perceived understanding of the videotape material, no similar effects were found with regard to actual knowledge scores. Males and females expressed similar sympathy for a person with AIDS but males expressed less willingness to have such a person in their home. On the latter measure, group discussion made females more accepting of a person with AIDS but had little effect on the attitudes of males. Male and female groups were less likely to agree that AIDS is a gay disease and more likely to agree that a heterosexual can catch AIDS, during and after a group discussion than on their pretest. – Ratings of the risk of AIDS and the need for preventive measures were influenced by the target person’s sex, sexual orientation, and the number of sex partners. Ratings for all categories of target increased from pertest to post-test. On the post-test, differential ratings across target categories became less evident. – Several recommendations are offered concerning the most effective use of instructional materials in AIDS education programs.

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