A Comparative Study of Rumours and Reports in Earthquakes

Prasad, J.N.

doi:10.1111/j.2044-8295.1950.tb00271.x

Cited by 40 publications

(45 citation statements)

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“…To illustrate, Festinger (1957) drew inspiration from the rumor theme to develop his theory of cognitive dissonance. In particular, he noted Prasad's (1950) investigation of rumors relating to the Indian earthquake of 1934. The puzzling fact reported by Prasad was that rumors following the earthquake predicted that even worse disasters would ensue in the very near future.…”

Section: Psychodynamics Of Rumormentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychology of rumor reconsidered.

Rosnow¹

1980

Psychological Bulletin

137

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Allport and Postman's theory of rumor is reviewed. It is argued that certain propositions are plausible but that other propositions may be challenged on empirical and theoretical grounds. Specifically, their "basic law of rumor," which asserts that rumor strength varies with thematic importance and ambiguity, is called into question. As a possible synthesizing proposition, it is instead postulated that rumor results from combinations of uncertainty and anxiety that are related to rumor strength differently as state and trait factors. Allport and Postman (1947), in a seminal work entitled The Psychology of Rumor, formulated a theory that has entered into the corpus of assumptions about sociopsychological processes. In this article I review the status of the formulation in light of speculations and research by these and other investigators. The first part explores the question of categorical presuppositions, specifically the properties ascribed to rumor by Allport and Postman, and traces the logic of their assumptions while analyzing the plausibility of each assumption. The second part discusses their principal logical abstraction, known as the basic law of rumor, as well as the generalizability of other assertions concerning the circumstances under which this law might be attenuated. The third part attempts an adjudication of divergent points of view by positing as a synthesizing proposition that rumor results from an optimum combination of uncertainty and anxiety. Theoretical Assumptions Definition oj RumorAllport and Postman (1947) conceive of rumor as "a specific (or topical) propositionThe author wishes to thank

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Section: Psychodynamics Of Rumormentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychology of rumor reconsidered.

Rosnow¹

1980

Psychological Bulletin

137

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“…Not surprisingly, answers and methods are dependent on which academic domain the researcher situates themselves in. To that end, psychologists of various hues find rumor to either express internal emotional states (Allport & Postman 1947;Prasad 1950;Jung 1964) or as a pathological expression of some deviant tendencies (Hart 1916). Those of a more sociological bent view rumor as being intimately tied with group processes, social structure, or identity (Shibutani 1966;Fine 1992).…”

Section: Distinguishing Rumormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More recent rumor research, often in which the boundary with "contemporary legend" is fuzzy, views rumor in the context of group responses to changes brought about by modernity or expressing group identity in relation to the wider social structure (Kapferer 1990;Fine 1992;Turner 1993;Maines 1999). One common theme, however, between all of these periods is the study of rumor within the context of post-disaster situations (Prasad 1935;1950;Sinha 1952;Danzig 1958;Tsuganesawa 1996).…”

Section: Distinguishing Rumormentioning

confidence: 99%

Genre - text - interpretation: Multidisciplinary perspectives on folklore and beyond

Koski

Frog²,

Savolainen³

2016

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“…Jung's hypothesis can be criticized on the grounds that it breaks down on the specific social implications of rumormongering: it cannot explain why one person's experiences should produce such common responsiveness as to be taken u p and transmitted by others (61,62). However, there may be at least circumstantial support for the hypothesis in the results of research on epidemic rumormongering, where these stories smack of the sort of hysterical projection and catharsis implied by Jung (36,49).…”

Section: Three Views Have Dominated the Literature On The Function Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

Communications as Cultural Science

Rosnow

1974

Journal of Communication

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And of so easy and so plain a st@ That the blunt monster with uncounted heads,The still-discordant wavering multitude, Can play upon it. KING Its meaning, functions, and life style are reviewed in this call for a new departure in rumor research.Some rumors may signal the unsettling overture to psychological or social discord. An example was a rumor, reported by Morin (55), of vanishing women in Orleans, France. In spring 1969, a teenage fantasy swelled into a spitefully hostile, anti-Semitic rumor when it was alleged that young girls had been drugged and imprisoned by Jewish shopkeepers and then spirited away in the dark of night to foreign centers of prostitution. In reality, there was not a kernel of truth to the story from beginning to end. Nothing extraordinary was discovered that could have provided some factual basis for the rumor; no women were even missing in OrlCans. Other researchers have also described a pattern in the diffusion of hearsay (21,32,36,49,52, 69). What do these reports have in common? What are the functions of rumormongering? What stages typically occur in the life cycle of a rumor? In this paper I shall review what is known on the social psychology of rumors and rumormongering, and also speculate on some aspects of the topic with the hope of rekindling scientific interest in it. Ralph L. Rosnow is Professor of Psychology at Temple University. His other research interests have been in attitude change and in the social psychology of behavioral research, more particularly in the role of the "good subject." His books include Experiments in Persuasion and Artifact in Behavioral Research, and he is co-author with Robert Rosenthal of the forthcoming Primer of Methods for the Behavioral Sciences.Thanks are due Jeffrey Goldstein and Howard Fromkin for their helpful comments on an earlier draft, and Susan Anthony, Donna DiFurio, and Marianne Jaeger for assisting in the literature search.

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A Comparative Study of Rumours and Reports in Earthquakes

Cited by 40 publications

References 0 publications

Psychology of rumor reconsidered.

Psychology of rumor reconsidered.

Genre - text - interpretation: Multidisciplinary perspectives on folklore and beyond

Communications as Cultural Science

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