Date of Award

Summer 1988

Document Type

Thesis - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Communication

First Advisor

Griffin, Robert J.

Second Advisor

Baxter, Bill

Third Advisor

Smith, Zoe

Abstract

This study consisted of a telephone survey of 180 recent new car buyers during the first three weeks of March 1988, to measure their responses to a battery of questions designed to elicit selective exposure to sources of information about cars varying in degree of utility and favorability. Of the 180, 118 or 66 percent of the surveys were completed. Each respondent was asked to respond to the likelihood that he would desire to look at information for each of three makes of cars, the first and third of which were randomized "other" makes of cars, while the second make was the actual make ' of car the subject had recently purchased, which was known to the researcher in advance. The results of Paired and Grouped T-Tests revealed that subjects were more likely to desire exposure to information which they perceived to be favorable to them and information which they perceived to be more personally useful or relevant. However, the results indicate that younger, less experienced "novice" subjects were only minimally more selective than their older, more experienced "expert" counterparts, and at levels only approaching statistical significance. The results in general support the clearer conclusions. would offer more previous literature Perhaps refinement of significant support "expert-novice" hypothesis.

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