1. Self-Perceived Knowledge of the O.J. Simpson Trial: Third-Person Perception and Perceptions of Guilt
- Author
-
Paul D. Driscoll and Michael B. Salwen
- Subjects
Telephone survey ,Third person ,Communication ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Perception ,Self perceived ,Innocence ,Regression analysis ,Psychology ,Social psychology ,media_common - Abstract
This study tested the “third-person effect” during the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial. The perceptual component of the third-person effect predicts that people judge themselves to be less susceptible to media influence than other people. Findings from a nationwide telephone survey indicated that respondents' self-perceived knowledge about the legal issues involved in the Simpson trial was correlated with third-person perception of a perceived “neutral” media message. Self-perceived knowledge was not correlated with third-person perceptual bias of a perceived “biased” message. It was suggested that the biased message primed respondents' perceptions of Simpson's guilt or innocence. The relative contributions of various predictors of third-person perception were assessed using regression analysis.
- Published
- 1997