A CROSS-CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS OF ILLNESS

这项研究计划的目的是研究对疾病理解的跨文化发展差异。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，以及这些多种信仰体系是在什么年龄形成的。在研究1中，参与者将被呈现两组疾病（严重和无害，每组包括4-5种疾病）。然后，他们会被呈现出各种各样的因果原因（生理上的、迫在眉睫的正义、心理上的和一个无关的选择）。他们将被要求同意或不同意所提出的每个选择，并将被要求证明他们为什么同意或不同意。研究2检验下一种疾病是否会对疾病的因果推理产生影响。将向儿童展示与研究1相同的一组疾病，但将被问及医生可能给出的与研究1相同的疾病的因果原因和治疗方法，但将被问及医生可能给出的疾病的因果原因和治疗方法，与祖母可能产生的疾病的因果原因和治疗方法进行比较。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的作用。这些研究的结果将有助于教育工作者和医学专业人士确定儿童在推理疾病时可能理解的信息类型。它还提供了这些信仰系统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.