Implicit Attitudes and HIV Risk Behavior

这项修订后的申请建议进行研究，以纠正目前关于HIV性风险的研究的局限性。以前的研究集中在对性危险行为的深思熟虑、基于信仰的态度上。然而，性背景是系统地恢复一个人关于避孕套和艾滋病毒预防的信念往往微乎其微的情况的缩影。最近的理论进展表明，在这样的背景下，内隐态度应该更好地预测行为。隐含性态度是一种评价性反应，它是由性情境中的暗示自动、毫不费力地唤起的，涉及的是感觉，而不是口头表达的想法。这项研究将使用新的反应延迟方法来评估隐含的避孕套态度。在两项研究中，300名艾滋病毒阳性者将完成基线自我报告测量，以评估他们的性行为和明确的(基于信仰的)避孕套态度。计算机化的启动和隐性联想任务也将在基线上使用，以评估对避孕套的隐性态度和与风险相关的行为。其中一家诊所的患者将继续接受常规治疗；另一家诊所的患者将开始更密集的心理干预，旨在降低态度和性行为的风险。六个月后，所有措施将再次完成。对于这两个群体来说，内隐态度应该比外显态度更好地预测自发环境(例如，偶尔的伴侣)中随后的性行为(例如，使用避孕套)，而对于深思熟虑的情况(例如，主要伴侣)，情况则相反。暴露在强化干预中的个体应该改变内隐态度，最大限度地减少危险的性行为。另外四项研究将使用另外910名参与者检验其他假设：(1)将特定情感联系与避孕套联系起来的隐含措施将与性行为和避孕套使用的相关动机(例如享乐、社交、恐惧)的个体差异相关。(2)实验操作(认知可及性和情感启动技术)在内隐态度中产生短暂的变化，将导致避孕套相关行为的短期增加。最终，理解与情感和动机状态相关的自动唤起的避孕套态度如何影响性风险行为，可能会建议重新审视可能影响内隐(以及外显)态度的干预措施的各个方面--例如，技能培训的直接体验方面。

This revised application proposes studies to redress limitations in current research on HIV sexual risk. Previous research focuses on deliberative, belief-based attitudes toward sexual risk behaviors. Sexual contexts, however, epitomize situations in which systematic retrieval of one's beliefs about condoms and HIV prevention might often be minimal. Recent theoretical advances suggest that in such contexts, behavior should be better predicted by implicit attitudes. Implicit sexual attitudes are evaluative responses that are automatically and effortlessly evoked by cues in a sexual situation and involve feelings rather than verbally articulated thought. This research will use new response latency methods to assess implicit condom attitudes. In two studies, three hundred HIV-positive individuals will complete baseline self-report measures to assess their sexual behavior and explicit (belief-based) condom attitudes. Computerized priming and implicit association tasks will also be used at baseline to assess implicit attitudes toward condoms and risk-related behavior. Individuals at one clinic will continue to receive their regular treatment; individuals at the other clinic will begin a more intensive psychological intervention designed to make attitudes and sexual behavior become less risky. Six months later, all measures will be completed again. For both groups, implicit attitudes should predict subsequent sexual behavior (e.g., condom usage) in spontaneous contexts (e.g., occasional partners) better than will explicit attitudes, and the reverse is expected for deliberative situations (e.g., main partners). Individuals exposed to the intensive intervention should change implicit attitudes and reduce risky sexual behavior the most. Four other studies will test other hypotheses using 910 additional participants: (1) Implicit measures linking specific affective associations to condoms will be correlated with individual differences in relevant motives for sexual behavior and condom use (e.g., hedonic, social, fear). (2) Experimental manipulations (cognitive accessibility and affective priming techniques) that create transient changes in implicit attitudes will lead to short-term increases in condom-related behavior. Ultimately, understanding how automatically evoked condom attitudes associated with affective and motivational states impact sexual risk behavior may suggest a reexamination of aspects of interventions that might be impacting implicit (as well as explicit) attitudes-for example, the direct experience aspect of skills training.