The Role of Informative Television Programs in the Battle Against AIDS

This experimental study tested the impact of exposure to television programs about AIDS on adolescents. We expected exposure to increase knowledge about the disease, heighten its salience, and reduce the discomfort associated with communicating about it. Subjects were high school and university students from two midwestern states. Those in the experimental conditions were exposed to an HBO or PBS special about AIDS. Exposure resulted in significant increases in knowledge. The programs exerted less of an influence on issue salience and seemed to have no effect on the perceived communicative tabooness of the topic. Nonetheless, in raising knowledge levels, the programs likely accomplished what they were designed to do.