Elementary school drug prevention curricula typically tell children very little about the harmful effects of drugs and too often teach children that drugs are bad but not why. This research, grounded in an intuitive theories perspective on cognitive development, assumes that children come to instructional settings with their own intuitive theories of the phenomena to be studied, they interpret new information within the framework of these theories, and that they are unlikely to assimilate new information unless it makes theoretical sense to them. In Study 1, African American and white children ages 6 to 11 in after-school care programs will be interviewed to assess their intuitive theories of the physiological and functional effects of alcohol and cocaine, their attitudes and intentions regarding drug use, and their background knowledge of the nervous and circulatory systems. Age, gender, and ethnic differences will be analyzed. Study 2 will test alternative versions of a theory-centered, developmentally appropriate, and culturally sensitive intervention constructed on the basis of Study 1's findings that offers children a causally coherent account of drug effects. The basic approach will be compared to variants that also fill gaps in children s knowledge of biology and explicitly disabuse them of their major misconceptions, as well as compared to a placebo control treatment. Study 3 will compare the most effective intervention emerging from Study 2 to an atheoretical content control program presenting the same material without the causal coherence, to determine whether children with different demographic characteristics experience differential gains, and assess longer-term effects of the program, including effects on alcohol use. Interventions will be delivered individually via audiotape and workbook. Outcome measures will include measures of knowledge of drug effects, conceptual understanding of the causal processes involved, and drug attitudes, intentions, and behavior. The proposed research will provide much needed data regarding how children of different ages and cultural background think about drugs and will contribute directly to the design of more effective drug use prevention interventions.
| Rinehart, Cheryl S; Bridges, Lisa J; Sigelman, Carol K (2006) Differences between Black and White elementary school children's orientations toward alcohol and cocaine: a three-study comparison. J Ethn Subst Abuse 5:75-102 |
| Sigelman, Carol K; Rinehart, Cheryl S; Sorongon, Alberto G et al. (2004) Teaching a coherent theory of drug action to elementary school children. Health Educ Res 19:501-13 |
| Sigelman, Carol K; Bridges, Lisa J; Sorongon, Alberto G et al. (2003) Biological background knowledge and learning from a drug and alcohol education program. J Genet Psychol 164:133-52 |
| Sigelman, Carol K; Weir, Catherine; Davies, Elizabeth et al. (2002) Age differences in alcohol and cocaine expectancies and attitudes. J Drug Educ 32:81-93 |
| Sigelman, C K; Leach, D B; Mack, K L et al. (2000) Children's beliefs about long-term health effects of alcohol and cocaine use. J Pediatr Psychol 25:557-66 |
