Michael B. Salwen

The Third-Person Effect: A Meta-Analysis of the Perceptual Hypothesis

In this study, we report the results of a meta-analysis concerning the third-person effects perceptual hypothesis. The hypothesis predicts that people judge the media to exert greater persuasive influence on other people than on themselves. Thirty-two published and unpublished studies with 121 separate effect sizes were examined. The overall effect size between estimated media effects on self and on others was r = .50. Among the 8 moderators investigated (source, method, sampling, respondent, country, desirability, medium, and message), 3 (sampling, respondent, and message) yielded significant effect size variations. Third-person perception in nonrandom and college student samples was significantly larger than in random and noncollege student samples. From a theoretical perspective, these findings may have been due to student participants perceiving themselves to be smarter than other people. A more disturbing explanation would attribute these findings to researchers relying on student samples.

Online news and the public

Contents: Preface. Part I: Overview. B. Garrison, Online Newspapers. M.B. Salwen, Online News Trends. P.D. Driscoll, Legal Issues and Online Journalism. Part II: Studies of Online News Audiences and Content. M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, P.D. Driscoll, The Baseline Survey Projects: Exploring Questions. R.A. Abdulla, B. Garrison, M.B. Salwen, P.D. Driscoll, D. Casey, Online News Credibility. R.D. Driscoll, M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, Public Fear of Terrorism and the News Media. M.B. Salwen, P.D. Driscoll, B. Garrison, Third-Person Perceptions of Fear During the War on Terrorism: Perceptions of Online News Users. C. Imfeld, G.W. Scott, Under Construction: Measures of Community Building at Newspaper Web Sites. C. Lin, M.B. Salwen, R.A. Abdulla, Uses and Gratifications of Online and Offline News: New Wine in an Old Bottle? C. Lin, M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, P.D. Driscoll, Online News as a Functional Substitute for Offline News. W. Dibean, B. Garrison, Online Newspaper Market Size and the Use of World Wide Web Technologies. Part III: Online News Posters. R.A. Abdulla, What They Post: Arabic-Language Message Boards After the September 11 Attacks. D.J. Atkin, L. Jeffres, K. Neuendorf, R. Lange, P. Skalski, Why They Chat: Predicting Adoption and Use of Chat Rooms. Appendix: National Telephone Survey Questionnaires, 2001-2002.

News of Hurricane Andrew: The Agenda of Sources and the Sources' Agendas:

This study of quotations in newspaper coverage of Hurricane Andrew showed that individuals who were not affiliated with government or business were quoted most often. Most sources were quoted as experts, with individuals represented as suffering victims, providing the news media with human interest quotations. Further, most sources praised themselves and blamed others.

Cultural imperialism: A media effects approach

The issue of cultural imperialism has emerged largely from the communication literature involving development and political economy. These orientations ultimately construct formulations concerning cultural heritage and behavior based on analysis of government and/or corporate policy and practice. This paper questions the legitimacy of such inferences and explores the idea of integrating direct‐behavior research with political‐economy perspectives.

Product Information Strategies of American and Japanese Television Advertisements

This study examines differences in informational strategies by product categories in Japanese and American television advertisements. Overall findings suggest that American advertisements are perhaps more informative than Japanese advertisements, based on the western standard. However, only by examining the qualitative and quantitative nature of the advertisement—within respective idiosyncratic cultural contexts ‐ could valid results be derived. Hence what is informative to one culture may not be necessarily deemed as relevant to another culture.

Communication Technology Adoption and Ethnicity

ABSTRACT A national telephone survey was conducted to examine differences in communication technology adoption across Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics and identify adoption predictors based on demographics, media use, and perceptions of new technologies for each ethnic group. Results revealed few ethnic variations in individual communication technologies penetration. Even after controlling for socioeconomic variables, ethnicity remained a significant source of influence on communication technology adoption. Although income was the only common predictor in the adoption regressions within each ethnic group, perceived relative advantage of new technologies and household size were also important determinants for White and Black respondents.

Online news as a functional substitute for offline news

Contents: Preface. Part I: Overview. B. Garrison, Online Newspapers. M.B. Salwen, Online News Trends. P.D. Driscoll, Legal Issues and Online Journalism. Part II: Studies of Online News Audiences and Content. M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, P.D. Driscoll, The Baseline Survey Projects: Exploring Questions. R.A. Abdulla, B. Garrison, M.B. Salwen, P.D. Driscoll, D. Casey, Online News Credibility. R.D. Driscoll, M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, Public Fear of Terrorism and the News Media. M.B. Salwen, P.D. Driscoll, B. Garrison, Third-Person Perceptions of Fear During the War on Terrorism: Perceptions of Online News Users. C. Imfeld, G.W. Scott, Under Construction: Measures of Community Building at Newspaper Web Sites. C. Lin, M.B. Salwen, R.A. Abdulla, Uses and Gratifications of Online and Offline News: New Wine in an Old Bottle? C. Lin, M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, P.D. Driscoll, Online News as a Functional Substitute for Offline News. W. Dibean, B. Garrison, Online Newspaper Market Size and the Use of World Wide Web Technologies. Part III: Online News Posters. R.A. Abdulla, What They Post: Arabic-Language Message Boards After the September 11 Attacks. D.J. Atkin, L. Jeffres, K. Neuendorf, R. Lange, P. Skalski, Why They Chat: Predicting Adoption and Use of Chat Rooms. Appendix: National Telephone Survey Questionnaires, 2001-2002.

Predicting the spiral of silence on a controversial public issue

The “spiral of silence”; hypothesis asserts that media presentations of social issues are often regarded as the barometer for public opinions by the audience. In particular, audiences whose opinions do not coincide with their perceived majority opinion tend to maintain their silence rather than speak out. The present study assesses how different types of perceived public opinion and media climates may affect the spiral of silence dynamic. The issue examined here involves public debate over whether the U.S. should declare English as the official language. Findings from 2 cities provide support for the silence spiral hypothesis.

Willingness to Discuss “Official English”: A Test of Three Communities

This study surveyed respondents in three disparate communities regarding their willingness to express their opinions about “Official English.” The findings raised questions as to whether perceived media opinion influenced their willingness to “speak out.” People were more likely to express their opinions when they perceived that national opinion (public and media) corresponded with their own opinions.

The baseline survey projects: Exploring questions

Contents: Preface. Part I: Overview. B. Garrison, Online Newspapers. M.B. Salwen, Online News Trends. P.D. Driscoll, Legal Issues and Online Journalism. Part II: Studies of Online News Audiences and Content. M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, P.D. Driscoll, The Baseline Survey Projects: Exploring Questions. R.A. Abdulla, B. Garrison, M.B. Salwen, P.D. Driscoll, D. Casey, Online News Credibility. R.D. Driscoll, M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, Public Fear of Terrorism and the News Media. M.B. Salwen, P.D. Driscoll, B. Garrison, Third-Person Perceptions of Fear During the War on Terrorism: Perceptions of Online News Users. C. Imfeld, G.W. Scott, Under Construction: Measures of Community Building at Newspaper Web Sites. C. Lin, M.B. Salwen, R.A. Abdulla, Uses and Gratifications of Online and Offline News: New Wine in an Old Bottle? C. Lin, M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, P.D. Driscoll, Online News as a Functional Substitute for Offline News. W. Dibean, B. Garrison, Online Newspaper Market Size and the Use of World Wide Web Technologies. Part III: Online News Posters. R.A. Abdulla, What They Post: Arabic-Language Message Boards After the September 11 Attacks. D.J. Atkin, L. Jeffres, K. Neuendorf, R. Lange, P. Skalski, Why They Chat: Predicting Adoption and Use of Chat Rooms. Appendix: National Telephone Survey Questionnaires, 2001-2002.