Our rumour transmission in Malta : a social psychological analysis

Abstract

This study is a replication of Allport & Postman's study on anti-Negro aggression rumours in 1947 and was undertaken to examine the affects of social attitudes and beliefs on rumours. Seven students were recruited as participants and were informed of the conditions. Using a quasi-experimental design, narratives of a story, about a British student of South African origin, were recorded and analysed to see how it is altered by the end of the transmission. Similarly to Allport's study, the rumour changed with regards to three main principles, levelling (lacking details), sharpening (accentuating details) and most significantly, assimilation which refers to the effect of social beliefs and human evolution on these changes. In light of the current situation with illegal immigration in Malta, this study is particularly significant in demonstrating how coloured individuals are highly prone to outgroup categorisation and rumour mongering.