The First-Person Effect and Its Behavioral Consequences: A New Trend in the Twenty-Five Year History of Third-Person Effect Research

Abstract

The perceived effect of the media on the self when compared to others has been adequately established over the last 25 five years. Rather than a third-person effect where individuals perceive a greater effect for self than others, first-person effect perceptions, where individuals perceive a greater effect for self than others, have been considered by scholars recently. Findings indicate support for first-person perceptions. However, research is limited and the behavioral consequences of first-person perceptions are almost nonexistent. The current analysis discusses the evolution of the first-person perception and details the findings of each study as well as the psychological mechanisms used to explain first-person perceptions. Methodological considerations for future studies of first-person effect behavioral consequences are also proposed.

Notes

¹A lengthy overview of the TPE body of research has been published by Julie L. Andsager and H. Allen White (2007) in their book Self Versus Others: Media, Messages and the Third Person Effect (Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Guy J. Golan

Guy J. Golan (Ph.D., University of Florida) is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at Seton Hall University. His research focuses on international communication, political communication, media effects, and religion and media.

Anita G. Day

Anita G. Day (Ph.D., Louisiana State University) is the Director of the Louisiana Corporate Communications Group and Research and Policy Manager of the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps. Her research interests include media and religion, media and public opinion, and corporate public affairs advertising.