FrameWorks Institute

Understanding how people make sense of social issues is a fundamental aspect of communications research. In this piece, we apply theory from psychological anthropology to provide a new perspective on this core feature of communication and argue for the importance of considering culture in applied communications research. Drawing on a study of the implicit understandings and patterns of reasoning that Americans use to think about the process of aging and older adults, we show how the theory of cultural models can be applied to arrive at a deeper view of the ways in which members of the public make meaning of aging issues. We discuss the implications of this research for those communicating about aging and other social and scientific issues. The article provides information on public understanding that is directly pertinent to those communicating about aging and demographic change in the United States.

Our previous studies documented large racial disparities in sexually transmitted infections (STI) between Black and White young adults. In this chapter, we apply a longitudinal person-centered analysis of sex and drug use behavior to examine whether infection among young adults varies by the trajectory of such behaviors over time. Findings suggest Whites were more likely to increase their risk behavior or persist in high risk behavior over time while Blacks (and especially Black women) were more likely to continue in stable low risk patterns or decrease their risk behavior over time. Nevertheless, Black men and women were much more likely than White men and women to have a positive STI/HIV test in young adulthood across all trajectories. These findings confirm conclusions that the current prevention paradigm, to reduce personal risk behavior and increase personal protective behavior (condom use), does not seem adequate for racial STD/HIV disparities. Structural and contextual factors may provide better clues to address the problem.

Metaphor is a vital feature of human cognition that is used both in making and creating meaning. As such, it can play a central role in multiple aspects of communication. In this paper, we synthesize theories of metaphor, culture and framing and argue that metaphors can be designed and tested to serve instrumental functions in communications practice. We discuss and explore this theory through a case study approach — presenting an iterative, multi-method research project that was conducted as part of a larger effort designed to reframe criminal justice reform and expand public discourse on this issue. Through this case study, we synthesize and apply several bodies of theory and offer a methodology for studying metaphors as a communication device. We argue for the power of metaphors as tools in effective communications practice.

The study was conducted with families of children with and without active epilepsy on the coast of Kenya, in Kilifi District. We established a context specific, ecocultural concept of "family well-being," and employed this concept to investigate how the presence of a child with persistent epilepsy impacts overall family functioning.

Existing studies have identified demographic and resource-related barriers to treatment-seeking and have focused on treatment seekers in exploring and modeling decision-making. While the treatment-seeking literature acknowledges the role of the characteristics of treatment providers, few studies have adopted an explicit focus on these determinants, nor have they approached the study of treatment-seeking with an in-depth ethnographic focus on the providers themselves. The following article analyzes the structural aspects of treatment provision as one influence on how families in Kilifi, Kenya seek care for a child with chronic epilepsy. While not a comprehensive decision model, the study examines the ways in which treatment-seeking may be facilitated or deterred by the characteristics of available treatment options. Ethnographic methods were applied, including interviews, participant observations and surveys, to examine factors that may affect the choice of families on the coast of Kenya between traditional healing and biomedical care for epilepsy. Traditional healers were found to have a profound influence in the treatment of epilepsy in Kilifi. Their treatments differ from those available at health facilities in the following key dimensions: explanations of causation, communication styles, social roles, referral practices, location and systems of payment. The article identified key differences between biomedical and traditional treatments that may help to explain the existence of the biomedical treatment gap in Kilifi. This study suggests that comparing data on treatment providers reveals barriers to obtaining biomedical care, thereby offering an important tool in intervention design research.