engths of their perceptions (Windschuttle 28). Another factor that can affect the character and strength of perceptions over time is the additional reinforcement that individuals receive over time following the formation of their original perceptions of the event. Such reinforcement derives from (a) interpersonal communications among people who share similar perceptions and (b) the psychological and sociological processes involved in the formation and strengthening of the perceptions (Bargh, McKenna, and Fitzsimons 33).
This study investigated the effects of media influence, interpersonal communication, psychological processes, and sociological processes on the strength of individual perceptions of tragic events over time. The hypothesis investigated in the study is that (a) people who shared the media developed reality of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks and (b) reinforced their perceptions of that reality over time through interpersonal communications with others who share the experience have a stronger perception of the event 18 months later in April 2003 than do people who (a) did not immerse themselves in the extended mass media coverage of the events of that day and (b) have not in the intervening 18 months engaged in extensive and on going interpersonal communication concerning the events. This hypothesis does not imply that the perceptions of the event held by either group are more accurate than are the perceptions of the other group. The hypothesis simply states that the perceptions of the former group are stronger and more real to them in April 2003 than is the case for the other group.
There are two main parts to the method of investigation of the hypothesis. First, the issues are analyzed within the context of the various psychological and sociological concepts involved in the development and strengthening of individual perceptions of tragic events. Second, 30 students, divided evenly between (a) people w...