| Abstract: | Ten years ago Davison formulated the third-person effect hypothesis,a novel approach to the study of public opinion. Davison proposedthat individuals typically assume that mass communications exerta stronger impact on others than the self, and he derived someinteresting ideas from this notion. Over the past decade, anumber of studies have tested predictions derived from Davison'sformulation. This paper reviews and synthesizes research onthe third-person effect. A systematic review of third-personeffect studies indicates that there is abundant support forthe notion that individuals assume that communications exerta stronger influence on others than on the self. However, thethird-person effect does not emerge in all circumstances andfor all people. The effect appears to be particularly likelyto emerge when the message contains recommendations that arenot perceived to be personally beneficial, when individualsperceive that the issue is personally important, and when theyperceive that the source harbors a negative bias. Considerablyless is known about the processes that underlie the third-personeffect. This paper proposes several explanations for the effect,and it suggests some directions for future research in thisarea. |
