AIDS social representations; contents and processes

Abstract

AbstractThis article reports the results of an empirical investigation of the social representations of AIDS. Social representations are defined as a cognitive product of a social object created by a group and used by it to allow communication among the members of that group, and also to guide responses towards the object of the representations. An initial interview was held in which subjects were asked about the causes of AIDS, affected groups, modes of transmission, preventive behaviour, a Bogardus scale on social contact with high‐risk groups and attitude toward AIDS. Their responses were found to be divided into two clusters of beliefs—the liberal and the conservative—which were established independently of groups. However, the more contact respondents had with homosexuals, the more their representations were in accord with the liberal cluster. We also confirmed the congruent relationship between attitude, structures of knowledge (clusters), groups defined in function of their religious beliefs and level of social contact with high‐risk groups, and social and preventive behaviours. Two weeks later, subjects were given a recognition test on technical information about AIDS (provided at the end of the first interview). The results of these tests confirmed subject's tendency to falsely recognise items which are congruent with their pre‐existing representations. The cluster of conservative beliefs appears to be the best predictor of negativistic bias in memory. These findings are interpreted as confirming the functional and predictive value of social representations.