Person-Effects and Heuristic-Systematic Processing

Abstract

The study explores the relationship between heuristic and systematic processing and first-, second-, and third-person effects. Controversy surrounding a referendum over the Confederate battle emblem appearing on the Mississippi state flag served as a backdrop for a survey of residents (N = 520) concerning the perceptions of the media's influence on self and others. Results suggest that accuracy-motivated heuristic and systematic processing shows a limited relationship to third-and first-person effects while at the same time demonstrating a robust relationship with transpersonal (second-person) effects. The study revealed that inferred attention of others to the flag issue accounted for additional variance beyond inferred exposure. In addition, systematic processing and second-person effects emerged as significant predictors of indicators of civic participation, discussion and voting, and media censorship. Implications of using the heuristic-systematic model in areas such as political campaigns, social capital and trust, agenda-setting, framing, and the spiral of silence are discussed.Whether people believe that media portrayals have greater influence on themselves or others is a question that continues to garner attention from scholars studying the third-person effect (Davison, 1983). As findings accumulate, researchers (Neuwirth & Frederick, in press) have come to distinguish three types of person-effects: Others are more influenced than the self (third-person), the self is more influenced than others (first-person), and self and others are jointly influenced (second-person). The phenomenon of a third-person effect (3PE) is widely recognized as substantial and real (Paul, Salwen, & DuPagne, 2000), although considerable ambiguity remains 320 Downloaded from concerning the mechanisms that give rise to such an effect. Factors such as self-enhancement, education, issue importance, perceived knowledge, attributions, projection and in-group/out-group perceptions have been identified as mechanisms giving rise to self-other discrepancies (Perloff, 1999). The purpose of this study is (a) to explicate the role of the heuristic-systematic model (HSM) of information processing as a potential unifying framework in accounting for the field's many disparate findings, (b) to empirically examine on a more limited basis the role of HSM accuracy-based motives and processing on the "perceptual" and "behavioral" components of the third-person framework, and (c) to examine the influence of first-, second-, and third-person effects on indicators of civic participation and media censorship. The HSM Model and the Third-Person EffectAn extensive body of research in both communication studies and psychology has shown that individuals are affected by messages depending on their mode of information processing. Most prominent among these "dual-process" (Chaiken & Trope, 1999) approaches are Petty and Cacioppo's (1986) elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and, more recently, Eagly and Chaiken's (1993) heuristic-systematic model (HSM). Although ...

The Formation of Economic Perceptions in Post-Communist Countries of East Central Europe

“…This is what this study aims to do. One of the most plausible explanations offered by social psychologists and political scientists is that people tend to simplify the decision-making process and heavily rely on heuristics, motivated reasoning, as well as wishful thinking, especially when their knowledge on the subject is sparse (Kahneman et al 1982;Zaller 1992;Lau and Redlawsk 2001;Kuklinski et al 2001;Neuwirth et al 2002). Dolan and Holbrook (2001) have aptly described the debate about the sources of public opinion as the role of affect versus cognition in the formation of perceptions.…”

Mass Media, Interpersonal Communication or Personal Experience?

“…While no direct studies of people's actual behavior has been conducted, several studies have found third person effects in connection with opinions on censorship and freedom of expression issues. In general, strong support for the perceptual component of the theory has been demonstrated but only limited support exists for the behavioral component (Johansson, 2002, Neuwirth et al 2002.…”

“…The reason for excluding political authority from the model is that it tends to covary with job type, thus the inclusion of both tends to weaken the explanatory power of the model. Also included in the model is a control variable known in the third person effects literature as second person effects (Neuwirth et al 2002). This variable takes into account the degree of influence the media has both on one self and others and therefore allows for a certain 'levelling' of the influence of the media often missing in third person effects studies.…”

“…In part this is because of the fact that there are not any great differences to explain and that the differences that exist are more explained by other factors not included in the model. Neuwirth et al (2002) means that studies of person effects ought to be conducted in terms of concrete issues rather than in terms of general views about media effects. This is because it would be more apparent how the mechanisms for potential effects work.…”

“…It is a component of a "diamond model" developed by Whitt (1983) and recently adopted in third person effect research (Eveland et al1999;McLeod et al 1997, Neuwirth et al, 2002. Second person effect represents the perceived joint influence of the media on the self and others.…”