Julia Lechuga

English speakers attend more strongly than Spanish speakers to manner of motion when classifying novel objects and events.

Three experiments provide evidence that the conceptualization of moving objects and events is influenced by ones native language, consistent with linguistic relativity theory. Monolingual English speakers and bilingual Spanish/English speakers tested in an English-speaking context performed better than monolingual Spanish speakers and bilingual Spanish/English speakers tested in a Spanish-speaking context at sorting novel, animated objects and events into categories on the basis of manner of motion, an attribute that is prominently marked in English but not in Spanish. In contrast, English and Spanish speakers performed similarly at classifying on the basis of path, an attribute that is prominently marked in both languages. Similar results were obtained regardless of whether categories were labeled by novel words or numbered, suggesting that an English-speaking tendency to focus on manner of motion is a general phenomenon and not limited to word learning. Effects of age of acquisition of English were also observed on the performance of bilinguals, with early bilinguals performing similarly in the 2 language contexts and later bilinguals showing greater contextual variation.

Sexual health curricula in U.S. medical schools: current educational objectives.

ObjectiveThe authors identify the explicit and implicit objectives that shape decisions about what medical schools teach regarding human sexuality.MethodsThe authors reviewed relevant articles in journals, physician licensing examinations, and publications by professional organizations to identify learning objectives for human sexuality in undergraduate medical curricula.ResultsThere is consensus about many of the attitudinal objectives and some of the skills medical students should acquire in sexual health. There is less consensus on the sexuality-related information student physicians need to master. The few common informational objectives focus narrowly on diagnosing sexual dysfunction and disease.ConclusionThe model sexual health curricula, licensing exams, and guidelines from professional organizations mainly focus on the pathological aspects of sexuality. Student physicians should master fundamental information on healthy sexual function and become familiar with the roles of practitioners in various therapeutic disciplines in addressing sexual concerns and enhancing patients’ sexual functioning and well-being. Instruction should also address ways to incorporate this important topic in time-limited interactions with patients.

Impact of Framing on Intentions to Vaccinate Daughters against HPV: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

BackgroundEffective promotion of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine across ethnic/racial groups may help curtail disparities in cervical cancer rates.PurposeThis study aims to investigate mothers’ intentions to vaccinate daughters against HPV as a function of message framing (gain versus loss) across three cultural groups: Hispanic, non-Hispanic white, and non-Hispanic African-American.MethodsOne hundred fifty mothers were recruited from city department of health clinics and asked to respond to information about the HPV vaccine for their daughters. In a repeated-measures experiment, two different frames (gain and loss) were used to present the information.ResultsThe results indicated that both frames are equally effective in promoting vaccination intentions in non-Hispanic white mothers. Conversely, a loss frame message was more effective in non-Hispanic African-American and Hispanic mothers.ConclusionsInformation sharing campaigns, aimed at promoting the HPV vaccine among ethnic minority groups should be modified to not focus exclusively on the benefits of vaccination.

Testing Comprehensive Models of Disclosure of Sexual Orientation in HIV-Positive Latino Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM)

Abstract Individuals who disclose their sexual orientation are more likely to also disclose their HIV status. Disclosure of HIV-serostatus is associated with better health outcomes. The goal of this study was to build and test comprehensive models of sexual orientation that included eight theory-informed predictors of disclosure to mothers, fathers, and closest friends in a sample of HIV-positive Latino gay and bisexual men. US acculturation, gender nonconformity to hegemonic masculinity in self-presentation, comfort with sexual orientation, gay community involvement, satisfaction with social support, sexual orientation and gender of the closest friend emerged as significant predictors of disclosure of sexual orientation.

Perceived Need of a Parental Decision Aid for the HPV Vaccine: Content and Format Preferences

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a precursor of cervical cancer. In 2006, the Federal Drug Administration licensed a vaccine to protect against four types of HPV. Three years postlicensure of the vaccine, HPV vaccination is still fraught with controversy. To date, research suggests that contrary to popular notions, parents are less concerned with controversies on moral issues and more with uncertainty regarding because long-term safety of a drug is resolved after licensure. This study was designed to understand whether mothers from diverse ethnicities perceive a need for a decision support tool. Results suggest that the design of a culturally tailored decision support tool may help guide parents through the decision-making process.

Culture and Probability Judgment Accuracy The Influence of Holistic Reasoning

A well-established phenomenon in the judgment and decision-making tradition is the overconfidence one places in the amount of knowledge that one possesses. Overconfidence or probability judgment accuracy varies not only individually but also across cultures. However, research efforts to explain cross-cultural variations in the overconfidence phenomenon have seldom been made. In Study 1, the authors compared the probability judgment accuracy of U.S. Americans (N = 108) and Mexican participants (N = 100). In Study 2, they experimentally primed culture by randomly assigning English/Spanish bilingual Mexican Americans (N = 195) to response language. Results of both studies replicated the cross-cultural variation of probability judgment accuracy previously observed in other cultural groups. U.S. Americans displayed less overconfidence when compared to Mexicans. These results were then replicated in bilingual participants, when culture was experimentally manipulated with language priming. Holistic reasoning did not account for the cross-cultural variation of overconfidence. Suggestions for future studies are discussed.

Marketing the HIV Test to MSM: Ethnic Differences in Preferred Venues and Sources

Lack of awareness of HIV status is associated with an increased likelihood of HIV transmission. We surveyed 633 men who have sex with men (MSM) from diverse ethnic groups recruited from a variety of community venues in a U.S. Midwestern city with rising HIV infection rates. Our first aim was to describe patterns of sexual risk, annual HIV testing frequency, and venues where information about HIV and HIV testing could be disseminated to inner-city MSM. Our second aim was to identify preferred sources to receive information about HIV testing and determine whether these preferences differed by ethnic background. Results indicated that despite similar proportions of high–sexual risk behaviors, compared with African American and Latino MSM, smaller proportions of non-Hispanic White MSM had received an HIV test in the last 12 months. Despite ethnic differences in health care access, a physician’s office was the most common HIV testing site. Overall, a majority conveyed a preference to see advertisements in mainstream media outlets. However, when preferences were stratified by ethnicity, African American MSM were the least likely to prefer receiving information from mainstream media and conveyed a stronger preference to receive information from authority figures than non-Hispanic White and Hispanic MSM.

Holistic reasoning on the other side of the world: validation of the analysis-holism scale in Mexicans.

The universality of cognitive processes has been called into question. Research suggests that individuals from Eastern cultures (e.g., China, Korea) when compared to individuals from Western cultures (e.g., the United States) prefer to reason holistically. This line of research has not been extended to cultural groups far removed from cultures traditionally surveyed in cross-cultural research such as Hispanics. We conducted two studies to understand: 1) the generalizability of the construct of holistic reasoning in Mexicans, and 2) the preferred reasoning style of Mexicans when compared to U.S. Americans. Results support the generalization of the factor structure of holistic reasoning as originally hypothesized by Choi, Koo, and Choi (2007). The results of Study 2 suggest that Mexicans scored higher than U.S. Americans on certain aspects of holistic reasoning.

Can language prime culture in hispanics? The differential impact of self-construals in predicting intention to use a condom

The highly influential theory of planned behavior suggests that norms and attitudes predict an important antecedent of behavior: intention. Cross-cultural research suggests that culturally influenced self-construals can be primed and differentially affect behaviors that are influenced by norms and attitudes. The purpose of this experiment was twofold: (1) To investigate whether language functions as a prime for culture in Hispanics, and (2) if so, if norms and attitudes differentially predict condom use intention. Fluent English-Spanish bilingual participants (N = 145) of Mexican descent were randomly assigned to answer questionnaires in English and Spanish. Subjective norms and private evaluations towards condom use were assessed and their relative strength in predicting condom use intention was evaluated. Results suggest that language can prime culture and affect the relative accessibility of culture-relevant norms and self-construals in Hispanics. Moreover, consistent with our expectations, norms and attitudes differentially predicted condom use intention.

HIV Testing as a Standard of Care for Men Who Have Sex With Men: Patient and Provider Perspectives

In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised its HIV testing recommendations in health care settings. Current guidelines recommend that all patients aged 13 to 64 years be screened for HIV as part of routine medical care. Additionally, the CDC recommends that persons at high risk for HIV infection should be screened for HIV at least annually. Primary care providers in clinical settings are seen as important providers of HIV prevention services and will be critical to expand HIV testing rates, particularly among populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM). This article reports on results from a multifaceted study that combined qualitative and quantitative methods and targeted both MSM and primary care providers. Through a quantitative survey with 709 MSM in Wisconsin, we explored the relationship between having a primary care provider, risk behavior, and HIV testing patterns. In the qualitative portion of the study, we conducted structured interviews with 7 clinic medical directors to explore the acceptability and feasibility of increased HIV testing in clinical setting strategy among primary care providers. Consistent with previous research, the results of this study indicate that primary care providers can play a significant role in encouraging and facilitating annual routine testing as a standard of care for high-risk MSM. This article offers policy and practice recommendations based on these findings.