Cultural practices of Hispanics: implications for the prevention of AIDS

Hispanic Americans have one of the highest rates of HIV seroprevalence among all ethnics groups in the US, with high rates being especially noticeable among women and children. Were it known which cultural factors have the most influence on whether Hispanics engage in high-risk behavior for HIV transmission, prevention interventions could be targeted accordingly. To that end, this study was mounted to identify which Hispanic cultural factors relate to condom use. 117 males and 73 females aged 17-56 years of mean age 25.67 were surveyed in Washoe county, Nevada. These mostly young adults had recently immigrated to the western US. It was initially posited that fate orientation, male- female relationships, family relationships, machismo behavior, and religion would have equal influence with respect to condom use. Analysis found that condom use was largely associated with and determined by men who are the principal buyers of condoms. A machismo attitude toward protecting women by using condoms was also associated with condom use. Neither fate orientation with respect to AIDS, nor religion were important determinants of condom use, even though 86.5% of the respondents were Catholic. The degree to which respondents adhered to traditional Hispanic cultural values was influenced by the degree of education and acculturation. On the basis of these findings, the authors suggest targeting AIDS prevention messages to males, while emphasizing the protection of women through condom use. They also suggest that both education and acculturation levels be assessed before implementing prevention programs.     

The relationship between attitude,assertiveness and condom use

The Australian study investigated condom-specific assertiveness and condom use as a means of prevention infection from sexually transmitted diseases. 211 men participated including 83 homosexual men (aged 19-62 years) and 128 heterosexual men (aged 17-49) who completed a questionnaire that comprised demographic details such as age, monogamy, and sexual activity as well as attitudinal and assertiveness measures. General assertiveness was measured by the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS) which had been widely used across a wide range of social situations. Assertiveness relating specifically to situations involving condoms was measured by the Condom Assertiveness Scale (CAS). Intention to use condoms was positively related to favorable attitudes, which were related to condom-specific assertiveness for both groups. For the heterosexual men only, general social assertiveness was negatively related to attitudes toward condoms. For both groups, the condom-specific measure of assertiveness was positively correlated with attitudes toward condoms. Condom-specific assertiveness was positively related to general social assertiveness as measured by the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule for the homosexual, but not for the heterosexual men. The negative relationship between general assertiveness and attitude to condoms among the heterosexual men implies that the risk reducing behavior of condom use did not seem to accord with the perceptions of masculinity and social assertiveness among heterosexual men. Thus, female partners of such heterosexual men exhibiting negative attitudes toward condom use combined with assertiveness would have to overcome resistance to insist on the use of condoms. Recently some advertising campaigns have been directed at women. The promotion of condom use among heterosexual men has to deal with the perceptions of condom use as unmasculine behavior.     

The legal consensus about foregoing life-sustaining treatment: its status and its prospects

The legal consensus that has evolved through adjudication and legislation since the Karen Quinlan case in 1976 is founded on the premise that there is a bright line between passive euthanasia and active euthanasia. Indeed, the term passive euthanasia is often eschewed in favor of less emotionally-laden terminology such as "forgoing life-sustaining treatment" or "terminating life support" so as to further sever any possible connection with active euthanasia. Legal approval has been bestowed upon passive euthanasia under certain circumstances while active euthanasia is routinely condemned. This consensus was put to a test in 1990 when the United States Supreme Court ruled on the Cruzan case. However, the Court's narrow decision did not upset the consensus, and in the most significant appellate decisions handed down by state courts since Cruzan, there has been a reaffirmation--and possibly even an extension--of the consensus. Two other threats to the legal consensus about forgoing life-sustaining treatment have begun to manifest themselves: the increasing pressure for mercy killing and "futility" cases. Both of these challenge the fundamental premises on which the consensus is grounded.     

心身问题与心灵哲学

第9届维特根斯坦国际专题讨论会的主题是心灵哲学(philosophy of mind,或译心智哲学)和心理学哲学。详细地讨论过的问题包括:心身问题、心灵哲学的传统问题和心理学哲学。 1.心身问题什么是心身问题?“心灵”(mind)一词有多种非常不同的用法,这一事实导致了现代讨论中的某种混乱。对这个词,我们至少可以区分出五种不同的用法,因此心身问题至少有五种意义。 (1)我们可以象笛卡儿使用“mens”一词那样使用“心灵”一词,让它指称具有心理属性的东西,亦即指称那种能思想,能感知,能相信和能欲求的东西。在这种情况下,我们通常是用“心灵”这个词意指“人”这个词所意指的东西,因而该词表示的就是你和我这样一些实     

库恩的可否证性模式

库恩和拉卡托斯都不同意把理论的评价看作是理论的可证实性或理论的可否证性这一传统观点。他们的批判分为两个题目:首先,一种科学理论并非只能凭经验的结果来检验;其次,人们不会在没有现成可替代的理论时就摈弃一种理论。在拉卡托斯的术语里,要么被接受,要么被摈弃的是理论的研究纲领而不仅仅是理论本身。进一步说,某一特定的范式或研究纲领的摈弃并不就是简单地被取代,一种替代范式在另一种范式或研究纲领被摈弃之前必须发生效用。最近,人们对拉卡托斯夸大第二点进行了批判。F.M.亚克罗德认为,在科学史上有一些情况是,一项研究被简单地摈弃了,而且的确是被合理地摈弃了,尽管还没有替代者。在本文中,我     

甘岑的自然演绎演算

迄今为止,我们所主要讨论的逻辑演算,即用公理方法处理的狭谓词演算,标志着把数学方法运用于逻辑获得了显著的成功。这种演算的形式上的简易是令人称道的,从纯粹数学的观点看,它可以同公理化的射影几何及抽象群论这一类数学观念的完满体现的学科相媲美。此外,作为应用于研究演绎系     

《主体·客体·认识》中译本序言

B·A·列克托尔斯基是苏联著名的马克思主义哲学家,现任苏联《哲学问题》杂志主编、科学院哲学所认识论研究室主任。《主体·客体·认识》一书是他的一本有相当高学术价值、享有国际盛名的力作,已被翻译为七种文字。本文系他为该书中译本写的前言,其中谈了对认识论发展的重要看法。该书中译本由贾泽林等人译,将由中国人民大学出版社出版。     

新的多重智力观

人们可以轻易地测出高度,但智力却没有这样简单.这主要是因为人们具有多重智力,而不是简单的一种智力.总的来讲,我已区分了七种形式的智力.在现代社会得到高度评价的两种智力是语言和逻辑数理(Logical-mathematic)能力.当人们认为某人聪明时,往往是指这两种能力.因为个体有了语言和逻辑数理能力,就能在那些所谓测量智力的测验上获得好分数.     

空间能力研究的历史背景

定义空间能力的方式多种多样,致使我们难以将其含义精确地归结为某一术语。有些学者广义地把空间能力描述为在那些非语言信息加工中的个体差异,而另一些学者则狭义地把它描述为在完成空间测验中的个体差异,由于用以研究空间能力的方法和测量的不同,定义问题变得更为复杂。本文将对空间能力的测量作一简要概述,尽管它类似于因素分析方法学的历史,但由于关系到空间能力的定义,因而,重点在于研究的结果而不在于因素分析方法学的历史本身。