Belief in rumor and likelihood of rumor transmission

In this investigation, the primary goal was to examine the relationship between confidence in the truth of a particular rumor (ie, belief) & subsequent transmission of that rumor. Faculty in the midst of tense faculty-administration labor negotiations reported rumors they had recently heard, rat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Language & communication 1986, Vol.6 (3), p.189-194
Main Authors: Rosnow, Ralph L., Yost, John H., Esposito, James L.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:In this investigation, the primary goal was to examine the relationship between confidence in the truth of a particular rumor (ie, belief) & subsequent transmission of that rumor. Faculty in the midst of tense faculty-administration labor negotiations reported rumors they had recently heard, rated their confidence in each rumor, & stated whether or not they had passed the rumors along to other individuals. The rumors were classified into two types based on whether confirmation of a rumor was construed as having positive or negative consequences for the teller. For both types, as hypothesized, there was a substantial linear relationship between increased confidence in the truth of the rumor & the likelihood of rumor transmission. Possible limitations of the findings, as well as theoretical implications for future research, are discussed. 1 Figure, 14 References. AA
ISSN:0271-5309
1873-3395
DOI:10.1016/0271-5309(86)90022-4