This article is an electronic version of an article originally published in Cultic Studies Journal, 1984, Volume 1, Number 2, pages 167-177. Please keep in mind that the pagination of this electronic reprint differs from that of the bound volume. This fact could affect how you enter bibliographic information in papers that you may write.
 

Preventative Education on Cultism for High School Students: A Comparison of Different Programs’ Effects on Potential Vulnerability to Cults

Andrea Bloomgarden
Michael D. Langone, Ph. D.

Abstract

This study compared four different types of one-session, cult preventive education programs for high school students: a live presentation by an ex-cult member, a videotape of that presentation, a film (“Moonchild”), and a filmstrip (“Cults: the Appeal, The Danger”). A no-treatment control was also employed. One-hundred-ninety high school students in 15 classrooms were randomly assigned to the five conditions. The dependent measure was a pre-post change score on a questionnaire examining general knowledge about cults, attitudes toward cults, and likelihood of attending a cult meeting or submitting to manipulative tactics. Four aggregate variables (which incorporated a total of forty-two questions) and 27 individual questions were statistically analyzed and reported on. The live ex-member and the video of the ex-member resulted in significant attitude change on three of the four aggregate variables, while the movie and filmstrip showed significant change on only one of the aggregate variables. In the analysis of individual questions, the two ex-member conditions were associated with 12 and 11 significant findings, whereas the movie showed nine and the filmstrip six significant changes. Implications of these findings are discussed.
 

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