Social judgements of sex and blame in the context of AIDS: Gender and linguistic frame

A questionnaire study examined 125 male and 192 female university students' social judgments on positive and negative evaluative dimensions, as a function of the perceiver's gender and the linguistic frame of judgment. This frame was manipulated by requiring Ss to rate themselves on descriptive dimensions favoring either a liberal or a conservative approach to sex and personal relationships. Findings illustrate interesting patterns in Ss' social judgment and in the attribution of responsibility and blame with respect to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Sexually active females were judged less positively on both positive and negative dimensions compared with males. Results underline the importance of linguistic context in framing controversial issues like sex and AIDS.