Exploring the perceived impact of threat levels: The case of North Koreas nuclear threat in the U.S.

Abstract

Using an experiment with 373 participants, this study examines the main effects of threat levels (high vs. low) on the cognitive appraisal by adopting a third-person effect measurement. The study not only shows a greater perceived impact of threat on others than themselves in both high and low threat level conditions but also reveals that the higher threat level produces a greater perceived impact on comparison groups than the lower threat level. Key words: Third-person effect, threat appraisal model, perceived impact of threat Levels.