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Reported are the results of an experiment in obtaining MD response to a mailed questionnaire. Each of 2,147 MDs was eligible for a payment of $20. A randomly selected 50% received the payment with their initial questionnaire & cover letter, while 50% were told they would receive their payment after they completed & returned the questionnaire. The same mail & telephone follow-up procedures were used for both groups. Overall, prepayment had significant positive effects on response rates. These effects are examined in terms of response rates for various specialties, field efficiencies, cost, & representativeness of the sample. 3 Tables, 17 References. HA

A report on a game of the Prisoner's Dilemma, 'a mixed-motive game whose formal properties are such that the 2 players have both mutual & divergent interests; ie, the maximization of the payoffs to both partners is not possible without mutual trust & cooperation.' This particular study 'poses the following principal question: Is it possible, by use of instructions that require role-playing in a hyp'al situation, to replicate some of the major findings already reported for choice behavior in the Prisoner's Dilemma?' The sample used consisted of 187 Reed Coll freshmen, 104 M's & 83 F's, & the study involved 7 dichotomous variables in a factorial classification design. 'The results .. .broadly support the findings of the other investigators, particularly re such factors as the effects of the instructional set on choice, the lack of direct sex diff's in choice behavior (at least in the early stages of interaction), & the close association between an individual's choice & his expectation of what his partner will choose. In addition, a number of new considerations emerge which have implications for further res. (1) The factorial design of the study permitted a comprehensive examination of complex interaction among variables. (2) Although the partner condition did not affect behavior appreciably in the present study, it remains for further res to determine how various aspects of the realism of the game situation, when varied more widely, affect choice behavior. (3) The signif effects associated with the S's' appreciation of the dilemma posed by the game suggest the importance of obtaining similar measure of the cognitive state of S's playing the game & of attempting to relate these measures to the effect of independent variables on objective behavior.' A 15-item Bibliog. I. Langnas.

Efforts to engage consumers in the use of public reports on health care provider performance have met with limited success. Fostering greater engagement will require new approaches that provide consumers with relevant content at the time and in the context they need to make a decision of consequence. To this end, we identify three key factors influencing consumer engagement and show how they manifest in different ways and combinations for four particular choice contexts that appear to offer realistic opportunities for engagement. We analyze how these engagement factors play out differently in each choice context and suggest specific strategies that sponsors of public reports can use in each context. Cross-cutting lessons for report sponsors and policy makers include new media strategies such as a commitment to adaptive web-based reporting, new metrics with richer emotional content, and the use of navigators or advocates to assist consumers with interpreting reports.

Describes the involvement of churches and other faith-based organizations (FBOs) in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. The authors describe the range of FBO activities and discuss the advantages and challenges to such involvement and possible ways that FBOs can enhance their efforts, both independently and in collaboration with other organizations, such as government ministries of health

Health care consumers often make choices that are imperfectly informed and inconsistent with their expressed preferences. Past research suggests that these shortcomings become more pronounced as choices become more complex, through either additional options or more performance metrics. But it is unclear why this is true: Consumer choice remains a "black box" that research has scarcely illuminated. In this article, we identify four pathways through which complexity may impair consumer choice. We examine these pathways using data from an experiment in which consumers (hypothetically) selected a primary care physician. Some of the loss of decision quality accompanying more complex choice sets can be explained by consumers' skills and decision-making style, but even after accounting for these factors, complexity undermines the quality of decision making in ways that cannot be fully explained. We conclude by discussing implications for report designers, sponsors, and policy makers aspiring to promote consumer empowerment and health care quality.