What question did this study set out to answer?

To evaluate how rumor-specific anxiety, situational anxiety, and belief interact to predict rumor transmission using multilevel modeling focused on within-subjects variance.

March 17, 2006Basic and Applied Social PsychologyOpen Access

A Multilevel Analysis of Rumor Transmission: Effects of Anxiety and Belief in Two Field Experiments

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

MPMark V. PezzoUniversity of South Florida JBJason W. BecksteadUniversity of South Florida

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Field experiments reveal rumor transmission dynamics in community populations during crises, indicating that high anxiety amplifies the impact of personal belief on spreading claims.

Key Points

To evaluate how rumor-specific anxiety, situational anxiety, and belief interact to predict rumor transmission using multilevel modeling focused on within-subjects variance.
Analyzed rumor transmission across two real-world field settings: the sudden death of a college student from meningitis and the Washington, DC sniper shootings.
Used multilevel modeling to partition between-subject and within-subjects variance associated with belief, rumor anxiety, and situational anxiety.
Belief showed a strong, positive overall effect on rumor transmission in both field settings, whereas rumor anxiety showed no significant main effect overall.
A significant Belief × Anxiety interaction occurred across both studies, demonstrating that the impact of belief on transmission was strongest for high-anxiety rumors.
Study 1 revealed a significant curvilinear effect of anxiety at lower belief levels, while Study 2 demonstrated a significant main effect of situational anxiety on transmission.

Cite This Study

Pezzo et al. (2006) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a1bf27f4cc49ccc94a8fa84 https://doi.org/10.1207/s15324834basp2801_8

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Implication

Field experiments reveal rumor transmission dynamics in community populations during crises, indicating that high anxiety amplifies the impact of personal belief on spreading claims.

A Multilevel Analysis of Rumor Transmission: Effects of Anxiety and Belief in Two Field Experiments

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

A Multilevel Analysis of Rumor Transmission: Effects of Anxiety and Belief in Two Field Experiments

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Also Consider

Also Consider