A CROSS-CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS OF ILLNESS

这项研究计划的目的是检查跨文化发展差异对疾病的理解。这项拟议的研究将向美国和印度的参与者(学龄前儿童、二年级学生、五年级学生和大学生)展示各种疾病，以确定他们是否有多种信仰，以及这些多元信仰系统发展的年龄。在研究1中，参与者将被呈现两组疾病(严重的和无害的，每组包括4-5种疾病)。然后，他们将被呈现出各种因果原因(生物原因、迫在眉睫的正义、心理原因和不相关的选择)。他们将被要求同意或不同意所提供的每一个选项，并被要求解释他们同意或不同意的原因。研究2检查下一种疾病是否出现在对疾病的因果推理中。儿童将面临与研究1相同的一组疾病，但将被问及与研究1一样，医生可能为这些疾病开出什么因果原因(S)和治疗方法，但将被问到医生可能为疾病开出什么因果原因(S)和治疗方法(与因果原因(S)相比)，以及祖母可能会为疾病提供什么治疗方法。研究3将考察亲子互动，以确定父母的投入在儿童对疾病的理解中所起的作用。这些研究的结果将有助于教育工作者和医疗专业人员确定儿童在对疾病进行推理时可能理解的信息类型。它还规定了这些信仰体系是普遍的还是特定于文化的。

The aim of the research proposal is to examine cross-cultural developmental differences in the understanding of illness. The proposed studies will present a variety of illnesses to participants (preschoolers, second graders, fifth graders and college students) in the United States and India to determine if they entertain a multiplicity of beliefs and what age these multiple belief systems develop. In Study 1, participants will be presented with two groups of illnesses (serious, and innocuous with 4-5 illnesses included in each group). They will then be presented with various causal reasons (biological, imminent justice, psychological, and an irrelevant choice). They will be asked to agree or disagree with each of the choices presented and will be asked to justify why they agree or disagree. Study 2 examines whether the next illness is presented in makes a difference in the causal reasoning about illness. Children will e presented with the same set of illnesses as Study 1 but will be asked what causal reason(s) and cures a doctor may give for the illnesses as Study 1 but will be asked what causal reason(s) and cures a doctor may give for the illness compared to the causal reason(s) and cures a grandmother may generate for the illness. Study 3 will examine parent-child interactions to determine the role of parental input in children's understanding of illness. Results from these studies will be useful to educators and individuals in the medical profession in determining what kind of information children will be likely to comprehend when reasoning about illness. It also provides as to whether these belief systems are universal or culture specific.