Third-person Perception Research Articles

Behavioural economics: the role of trust in hospitality

ABSTRACT Behavioural economics is a recent field of economics, and in this study, we assess how e-trust affects hotel satisfaction and behavioural intentions, representing different purchase modes: online travel agencies and hotel websites, through a mixed structural equation and a third-person perception questionnaire. The results suggest that travellers believe that hotel websites are more benevolent and have more integrity and reliability than online travel agencies, whereas online travel agencies are more effective in terms of competence. In addition, consumers are more satisfied when their trust is high, and they are more likely to recommend and return to the same hotel. Reliable and efficient information management systems, whether provided by online travel agencies or hotel websites, are recommended.

How life circumstances during public health crises affect people to share and correct misinformation: a perspective of the third-person effect.

Misinformation spreading on social media often parallels public crises, such as the outbreak of COVID-19, because people's behaviors regarding misinformation may be influenced by their typical life circumstances. With the increasing severity of living conditions, misinformation is believed to spread more widely, while corrective behaviors tend to decrease. Furthermore, social comparison also affects the perception of life circumstances and subsequent behaviors. Taking Shanghai's COVID-19 lockdown as an example, this study examined whether two representative factors-the duration of the lockdown and the satisfaction with relief measures-affected people's tendency to share and correct misinformation. By employing the third-person effect (TPE) theory, the underlying mechanisms of social comparison were also explored. An online survey was conducted in April 2022, when the Zero-COVID policy was implemented in Shanghai. In addition to questions about life circumstances, a third-person perception scale, a behaviors of sharing misinformation scale, and a behaviors of correcting misinformation scale were included in the survey. Finally, 7,962 valid responses were collected. It was found that both behaviors-sharing and correcting misinformation-were affected by life circumstances but in different ways. The evidence also supported the existence of third-person perception (TPP). It was observed that the relationship between satisfaction with relief measures and sharing behavior was mediated by Third-Person Perception. This study reveals that the proliferation of misinformation during crises is related to the deterioration of people's perception of life circumstances. Social comparison often plays a significant role, as was reflected by the TPE.

Third-person perceptions of suicide by people with terminal illnesses as a function of age and gender

Third-person perceptions of suicide by people with terminal illnesses as a function of age and gender

From news disengagement to fake news engagement: Examining the role of news-finds-me perceptions in vulnerability to fake news through third-person perception

Despite the wealth of literature vested in the association between social media use and vulnerability to fake news, it remains underexplored how and what kinds of social media usage contribute to fake news susceptibility. To fill this research gap, we draw upon the emergent scholarship of News-Finds-Me and propose a new conceptual model to examine fake news vulnerability and engagement in digital worlds. Drawing upon an online national sample in the US (N = 1014), results corroborated the prevalence of the News-Finds-Me perception, a social media-derived news attainment pattern that propels users to misconceive knowledgeability, over-depend on intimate peers and algorithms, and disengage from active news learning. Furthermore, evidence showed that News-Finds-Me perceptions make individuals more likely to believe and share fake news by creating a biased mentality that one is fake-news-proof while others are fake-news-impressionable. Such an asymmetric cognitive fallacy is called Third-Person Perception in literature. Our findings elucidate that the widely noted social media empowerment hypothesis might be double-sided. While social media can facilitate the dissemination and diversification of knowledge, they may also foster a sense of illusioned knowledgeability and overconfidence. This, in turn, could impede users from being adequately informed.

Perceptions of misinformation salience: a cross-country comparison of estimations of misinformation prevalence and third-person perceptions

ABSTRACT Against the backdrop of mounting concerns about misinformation's destabilizing impact paired with growing distrust in established news, this study explores how people estimate misinformation salience in their news environment when engaging in comparative risk assessment with other countries. The study derives from two opposite lines of reasoning on risk perceptions: While research indicating the relative scarcity of misinformation might imply an overestimation of its significance within people's own information environments, the literature on third-person perceptions could counteract this perspective, suggesting a tendency toward underestimating the relative personal risk of misinformation exposure. A survey in seven countries (N = 2,979; the USA, the UK, The Netherlands, Germany, France, Poland, India) showed how perceptions of misinformation salience are not characterized by a systematic underestimation of relative personal risks, but rather reflect a general concern regarding news landscapes being undermined by misinformation. These findings highlight the importance of understanding and studying how audiences themselves make sense of misinformation salience, as these perceptions determine how people navigate a news environment that is perceived to be disrupted by the omnipresence of misinformation.

How Government Actions Influence People’s Intentions to Share on Social Media During Shanghai’s Lockdown for COVID-19: A Third-Person Effect Perspective

During the COVID-19 pandemic, China’s “Zero-COVID” policy and strong government actions led to significant disruptions in daily life. Using Shanghai’s 2022 lockdown as an example, this study investigated how the government’s actions influenced people’s intentions to share information about risks and content with positive emotions. By employing the Third-Person Effect theory, this study further explores the underlying socio-psychological mechanism. A survey was conducted with 7,962 participants, and multiple linear regressions and structural equation models were applied to analyze the data. We found that (1) the policies that led to inconvenience whetted the dissemination of risk information and restricted the sharing of positive-emotion content; (2) “status-led” motivation was the critical reason why people shared both types of messages; and (3) Third-Person Perception mediated both of these influences. These findings expand our understanding of social communication during public health crises, particularly how the Third-Person Effect works.

"Your Photos, Your Fault": Masculine Honor Beliefs and Perceptions of Revenge Pornography.

We examined how individual differences in masculine honor beliefs (MHBs) related to third-person perceptions of revenge pornography (i.e., a man distributing nude photos of his ex-girlfriend) in response to a break-up. Consistent with our hypotheses, higher levels of MHBs were associated with higher ratings of the woman as negative, higher levels of victim-blaming the woman, and higher ratings of revenge pornography as justified. Furthermore, participants perceived the woman as more at fault, and the man's behavior as more justified, when she cheated on him prior to his revenge (compared to when she did not cheat). Overall, our results suggest that both higher levels of MHBs and instances of infidelity inspire beliefs that disempower women victims. Our research extends our understanding of how MHBs and situational factors relate to perceptions of revenge pornography, including its justification and the stigmatization of its victims.

Does a perceptual gap lead to actions against digital misinformation? A third-person effect study among medical students

BackgroundWe are making progress in the fight against health-related misinformation, but mass participation and active engagement are far from adequate. Focusing on pre-professional medical students with above-average medical knowledge, our study examined whether and how third-person perceptions (TPP), which hypothesize that people tend to perceive media messages as having a greater effect on others than on themselves, would motivate their actions against misinformation.MethodsWe collected the cross-sectional data through a self-administered paper-and-pencil survey of 1,500 medical students in China during April 2022.ResultsStructural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, showed that TPP was negatively associated with medical students’ actions against digital misinformation, including rebuttal of misinformation and promotion of corrective information. However, self-efficacy and collectivism served as positive predictors of both actions. Additionally, we found professional identification failed to play a significant role in influencing TPP, while digital misinformation self-efficacy was found to broaden the third-person perceptual gap and collectivism tended to reduce the perceptual bias significantly.ConclusionsOur study contributes both to theory and practice. It extends the third-person effect theory by moving beyond the examination of restrictive actions and toward the exploration of corrective and promotional actions in the context of misinformation., It also lends a new perspective to the current efforts to counter digital misinformation; involving pre-professionals (in this case, medical students) in the fight.

Investigating the Relationships Among HMP, Credibility, and TPP of News Media and Their Links to News Media Policy Support

Abstract Prior research has suggested that perceptions of bias, credibility, and influence of news media may relate to one another but there have been relatively few efforts to integrate these concepts under a coherent theoretical framework. Based on social identity theory, we examined whether political identity relates to hostile media perception (HMP), credibility, and third-person perception (TPP) and if such perceptions in tandem predict attitudes toward news media policies—restriction of news media and media literacy education, which may neutralize the influences of seemingly hostile and untrustworthy news media. Findings from two national online surveys showed that strong partisans tend to perceive stronger HMP and less credibility in news media. Additionally, progressives had greater HMP. HMP and TPP were positively associated with media restriction policy support and media literacy education support. Credibility showed negative associations with restrictive media policy support, whereas the opposite pattern was found in the relationship with media education support. Furthermore, the positive associations between HMP and media policy support were mediated by TPP. The negative associations between credibility and restrictive media policy support were also mediated by TPP.

Politicization of fake news debates and citizen attitudes towards fake news and its regulation

As fake news becomes a pressing social concern, governments from many countries have considered legislation against fake news. This study examined how citizens formed opinions about fake news and an anti-fake news bill in South Korea where political elites provide polarized discourse regarding fake news and associated regulatory politics. Progressive leaders more intensely criticized fake news and proposed an anti-fake news bill whereas conservative leaders vehemently opposed the bill. The analysis of survey data showed that elite polarization may affect citizens’ perceptions of fake news and attitudes toward anti-fake news legislation. Strong partisans tended to believe that fake news is more hostile toward their in-group and had stronger third-person perceptions, and such perceptions were positively related to the support of anti-fake news legislation. Moreover, progressive voters tended to have stronger hostile and third-person perceptions than conservative counterparts, reflecting endorsement of their in-group leaders’ positions. News reception about the bill further increased the gap in the level of support for the bill between progressive and conservative citizens.

Perception and attitude toward the regulation of online video streaming (in South Korea)

Abstract As the production and consumption of live video streaming have increased, a general concern is that live video streaming might yield social problems. This paper investigated how people perceived the current status of live video streaming through a nationwide survey. The survey was conducted with 825 users and 335 non-users in South Korea. The results demonstrate that people perceived live video streaming has more impact on adolescents than themselves, which confirms that the previous study of third-person perception. Respondents also evaluated that the current self-regulatory system is not functioning properly and regulation of live video streaming is required. Especially non-users are more supportive of regulation than users. The perception bias, the difference between the perceived influence on self and adolescents, is the strongest predictor of the need for regulation. Because of the difference between users and non-users regarding the perception of live video streaming, this study recommends that the policymakers should consider the actual status of live video streaming and not perception-based biases in orienting regulation.

I Participate in Politics Because the News is Influential Against Me: Hostile Media Perception, Third-Person Perception, and Political Participation

ABSTRACT The present study examines the interactive roles of hostile media perception (HMP) and third-person perception (TPP) on political participation. In the context of partisan news and polarized politics, an online experiment (N = 811) found that partisan source cues (in-group vs. out-group news sources) and content slants (pro-attitudinal vs. counter-attitudinal news stories) led to HMP separately, but they did not interact. Next, HMP enhanced political participation intentions, and further HMP mediated the effects of the two partisan news features on participation. Furthermore, nuanced differences in the moderating roles of TPP were found between in-group and out-group targets. HMP and TPP let partisans take part in politics interactively when political opponents were compared, but such synergistic effects were not found when it came to likeminded targets.

A Direct and Indirect Effect of Third-Person Perception of COVID-19 Fake News on Support for Fake News Regulations on Social Media: Investigating the Role of Negative Emotions and Political Views

ABSTRACT Based on the third-person effect theory, the present study explored the direct and indirect relationships between the third-person perception of fake news and public support for fake news regulations in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study found that the direct effect of the third-person perception of COVID-19 fake news on the support for fake news regulations was significant and positive. However, the indirect effect of the third-person perception of COVID-19 fake news on the support for fake news regulations was found to be significantly negative. The third-person perception of COVID-19 fake news reduced negative emotions toward COVID-19 fake news, which, in turn, decreased public support for fake news regulations. Furthermore, this study indicated that the negative indirect effect of the third-person perception of COVID-19 fake news on the support for restrictions against fake news varied depending on individuals’ political views. The indirect negative effect of the third-person perception of COVID-19 fake news on the support for fake news regulations was significant only for those with conservative political positions. This indirect negative effect was not significant among those with liberal political positions. The implications of the findings were discussed.

Motivating healthcare professionals to correct online health misinformation: The roles of subjective norm, third-person perception, and channel differences

Health misinformation continues to proliferate on social media, and corrective actions have been deemed effective in countering online misinformation. Such corrections are especially effective when performed by healthcare professionals who are considered experts in the field. Informed by third-person effect and social norm theories, this study investigates the role of third-person perception and subjective norms in promoting healthcare professionals' intention to correct and report online health misinformation. This study also examines the effects of exposure to health misinformation across four platforms (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp) on third-person perception and subjective norms. The survey data collected from 377 medical doctors and nurses in the United States showed that subjective norms predicted all five corrective actions (i.e., public priming, private priming, public rebuttal, private rebuttal, and reporting). Interestingly, the third-person perception was found to reduce private rebuttal intention. Moreover, exposure to misinformation on Facebook triggered third-person perception and subjective norms, whereas Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp showed significant negative associations with third-person perception. These findings provide new insights into the application of third-person effect and social norm theories and suggest the need for tailored interventions to encourage health professionals’ participation in combating health misinformation on social media.

A meta-analysis of third-person perception related to distorted information: Synthesizing the effect, antecedents, and consequences

In the long run of fighting distorted information, empowering Internet users is believed to be an economic and sustainable solution. The effectiveness of this approach relies on the assumption that Internet users pay close attention to and hold unbiased perceptions of the distorted information. To obtain a systematic examination of people's perceptions of the distorted information, we performed a two-part meta-analysis based on 24 articles with 20,777 participants across three continents. Drawing on the third-person perception/effect (TPP/TPE) framework, Part I synthesized the literature examining the perpetual gap of distorted information's influence on self and others. Based on 28 effect sizes, the results confirmed a strong third-person perception related to distorted information (d = 0.614, p <.0001). Factors identified as moderating the effect magnitude include distorted information type, TPP operationalization, and study context. Part II was a synthesis of 63 effect sizes examining the potential antecedents and consequences of distorted information TPP. The results indicated that media use, distorted information exposure, and efficacy beliefs are predictors of distorted information TPP. However, policy support, proposed as a potential consequence, was not found to be so. The implications of our findings and directions for future research are discussed.

Misinformation in WhatsApp Family Groups: Generational Perceptions and Correction Considerations in a Meso-News Space

This study examines how extended family group chats on WhatsApp operate as meso-news spaces, focusing on how misinformation is negotiated within these spaces. Through interviews with urban Indian young adults (N = 26), it finds that these spaces are characterized by a mix of interpersonal interaction and news, including misinformation. The findings suggest that young Indians believe that older generations are more susceptible to believing such misinformation, reflecting third-person perceptions regarding susceptibility to misinformation. The participants view misinformation correction as something one ought to do but state that it is not a widespread practice among their peers. Furthermore, various considerations shape their own decision to correct or not correct older relatives who share misinformation. They consider the misinformation topic and refrain from correcting misinformation on politics or religion; the potential consequences of correction, as they avoid correcting if it may lead to conflict; and their relationship with the misinformation sharer, as a greater sense of closeness, history, and rapport makes correction easier. They view WhatsApp as a suitable space for correction as it is associated with a known audience. Thus, this study reveals how relational, cultural, and technological factors inform responses to misinformation within meso-news spaces.

Intention to Participate in Social Activism Activities in Response to Corporate Social Advocacy: A Third-Person Effect Perspective

ABSTRACT Drawing on the theory of third-person effect (TPE) and the discrepancy motives model, the current study examined corporate social advocacy’s (CSA’s) influence on the public’s intention to participate in social activism activities in terms of boycott and discursive activities through consumers’ perceptions of CSA’s influence on in-groups and out-groups. Study 1 conducted a 3 (preexisting attitude: pro vs. neutral vs. anti) × 2 (CSA position: pro vs. anti) × 2 (corporate credibility: high vs. low credibility) between-subjects experiment. Participants reported higher third-person perceptions (TPP) when they held an attitude that countered the CSA message than when they were neutral or supportive of the CSA’s position. Study 2 utilized an online survey. The results reinforced Study 1 in suggesting attitude discrepancy as a significant predictor of TPPs. Study 2 also suggested that perceived negative and positive CSA influences predicted boycott intention and intention to participate in discursive activities, respectively. The results of the two studies enabled theoretical discussions of TPE research in a context when message recipients have divergent opinions of a media message and illuminated CSA’s role in mobilizing social activism relating to controversial issues.

Examining public perception and cognitive biases in the presumed influence of deepfakes threat: empirical evidence of third person perception from three studies

ABSTRACT Deepfakes have a pernicious realism advantage over other common forms of disinformation, yet little is known about how citizens perceive deepfakes. Using the third-person effects framework, this study is one of the first attempts to examine public perceptions of deepfakes. Evidence across three studies in the US and Singapore supports the third-person perception (TPP) bias, such that individuals perceived deepfakes to influence others more than themselves (Study 1–3). The same subjects also show a bias in perceiving themselves as better at discerning deepfakes than others (Study 1–3). However, a deepfakes detection test suggests that the third-person perceptual gaps are not predictive of the real ability to distinguish fake from real (Study 3). Furthermore, the biases in TPP and self-perceptions about their own ability to identify deepfakes are more intensified among those with high cognitive ability (Study 2-3). The findings contribute to third-person perception literature and our current understanding of citizen engagement with deepfakes.

Stories Matter: A Novel Approach to Exploring Perceptions, Discourses, and the Symbolic Social Order in Pastoral Psychology

This article locates story completion (SC), a novel and underutilised qualitative data collection tool, as a valuable adjunct to traditional qualitative methods for pastoral psychology. In contrast to traditional self-reporting qualitative interviews or surveys, SC necessitates a researcher writing a story “stem” or “cue” – or, more specifically, an opening sentence – which participants are asked to continue in their own words. Uniquely, for SC, it is the stories themselves (which may be either first- or third-person perceptions, or constructions, of a phenomenon) which are subject to data analysis. Story completion has the benefit of being able to target implicit perceptions, or social constructions, depending on the epistemological framework chosen. However, this method has seldom been used in pastoral psychology, despite its potential significance. In this article, I demarcate SC as a prospective qualitative research tool for use in pastoral psychology, distinguishing it from other qualitative methodologies. I trace its emergence from psychoanalytic thought to its current usage in qualitative psychology research. I argue that SC has profound potential, especially for those looking to examine stigmatised topics or populations with sensitivity. Nevertheless, studies which utilise SC need to be theoretically cognizant and align fully with the ontological or epistemological assumptions of the researcher. I introduce and expound on varied epistemological frameworks that can be used in conjunction with story completion, further discussing their relative merits and potential drawbacks for pastoral psychology. I propose that, methodologically, SC is beneficial for accessing sociocultural discourses and broader representations surrounding religiously and culturally complex topics. I offer a case study of one recent research study, which used SC within the context of mental health and religion, to demonstrate its merit and applicability to the field. In doing so, I provide three contrasting epistemological readings of the data to show how these might be applied in practice.

The interplay between social media virality metrics and message framing in influence perception of pro-environmental messages and behavioral intentions

Present study explored how message framing (gain vs loss) and social media virality metrics (e.g. the number of ‘likes’ and ‘shares’; SMVM) affect pro-environmental message’s influence perception and behavioral intention. In a 2 (framing: gain vs loss) × 2 (SMVM: high vs low) between-subjects experiment (N = 404), participants were exposed to Facebook posts about mitigating climate change. Major findings indicate: (1) gain framing, compared to loss, resulted in increased social desirability perception of pro-environmental messages when they are accompanied by high numbers of likes and shares; (2) social desirability perception mediated the effect of message framing on third person perception (TPP) but not on second person perception (SPP); (3) numbers of likes and shares affected participants’ message influence perceptions (TPP and SPP), and this was mediated by social desirability perception; and (4) message influence perceptions were found to be significant predictors of participants’ intentions for climate change mitigation actions. Study results implicate that SMVM can signal media content popularity and this can further affect social desirability and influence perceptions of the content. Message framing appeared to have an effect on how one thinks media content influence other people, especially in the presence of high levels of endorsement by others. The potential role of SPP, the perception of shared media influence, in augmenting public awareness and engagement is discussed in detail.