| The influence of arts critics has been debated for centuries, but there is little scientific evidence on the subject. This research brings a variety of data to the issue via a laboratory experiment with both attitudinal and behavioral measures.; In April 1985, 318 Middle Tennessee State University students were randomly assigned to four treatment conditions, in which they read either positive, mixed, or negative review, or a non-evaluative description (non-review) of the motion picture Butley. Before exposure to treatments, subjects reported interest in seeing the movie; after exposure, they rated the reviews for appeal, credibility, and informativeness and again reported interest in seeing the movie. These self-report measures were supplemented with behavioral measures. Subjects were provided with opportunities to take a free pass for a subsequent screening of Butley, to attend the screening, and to bring a guest. Subjects and guests who attended screenings also evaluated the film.; The results showed review condition significantly affects audience interest, with interest increasing most in the positive condition, least in the negative condition, and in between in mixed and non-review conditions.; Factor analysis of subjects' evaluations of reviews revealed two underlying dimensions: appeal and credibility-informativeness. Review condition was significantly related to appeal, with positive and non-reviews more appealing than mixed and negative reviews. However, condition was not related to credibility-informativeness.; Review condition did not significantly affect the taking of a free pass; however, trends were in the expected direction, with subjects exposed to the positive review most likely to take a pass, and those exposed to the negative review least likely.; Because only 12 subjects attended screenings, inferential statistics were not applied to attendance or post-viewing film evaluation. However, 6 of the 12 who attended were from the positive review condition and only 1 from the negative. |
