From Self-Enhancement to Supporting Censorship: The Third-Person Effect Process in the Case of Internet Pornography

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between self-enhancement and third-person perception. It also investigated the behavioral consequences of third-person perception within a theory of reasoned action framework. A survey on the issue of Internet pornography was administered to 462 undergraduate students. A positive relationship was found between self-enhancement and third-person perception. Behavioral attitude emerged as a key mediator in the relationship between thirdperson perception and intention to support Internet censorship. Subjective norm overall was not an important factor in the perception-intention relationship. The lack of impact for subjective norm, however, had causes that varied across gender.The notion of the third-person effect (Davison, 1983) consists of two interrelated hypotheses. The first hypothesis is that people tend to perceive mass media as having greater effect on other people than on themselves. The second hypothesis is that this discrepancy in perception can have important behavioral consequences. These hypotheses have generated abundant

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