THIRDPERSON EFFECT

1
THIRD-PERSON EFFECT

• Hypothesis that media does not affect perception,
  as much as perception affects the media

2
THIRD-PERSON EFFECT

• Perceptual hypothesis
• Media affects others more than self
• Behavioral component
• People take action (censorship, boycotts,
  protests letters) to stop the undesirable effect
  on others

3
THIRD-PERSON EFFECT

• Links with
• theories of risk,
• unrealistic optimism,
• affective forecasting,
• and self-serving biases

4
AFFECTIVE FORECASTING

• Psychological term for common inability to
  accurately judge the emotional (affective) effect
  of future events

5
INTERPRETATIONS

• Wish to perceive self as better, and stronger,
  than others
• Wish to control unpredictable events
• Projection (shadow self) inability to
  acknowledge same effect in self as others
• Attribution -- I am changed by situations, but
  you are changed as a result of a weak
  personality.
• Simplistic schema of media effects on others
• Failure to understand self well

6
PERCEPTION

• Tendency to believe that antisocial media has a
  greater effect on others, and prosocial
  messages have a greater effect on self
• Social distance corollary effects increase with
  distance from self
• Education does not seem to make much difference
• Strong political opinions seems to increase 3rd
  person effect

7
THIRD-PERSON EFFECT

• Suggests changes to, for instance, PSAs, to
  correct for 3PE fear is a poor motivator, as
  people diminish to likelihood of bad things
  happening to themselves (AIDS, binge-drinking
  etc.)
• Social norms may encourage people to acknowledge
  effects on self, and reduce inclination to view
  others as separate and more vulnerable