What the Public Thinks about Public Relations: An Impression Management Experiment

Sallot, Lynne M., Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly

Impression management theories suggest that perceived motives of selfinterest may explain the poor reputation sometimes attributed to public relations. A 4x2x2 factorial design experiment with 585 nonstudent adults and undergraduate students tested effects of motives, communication style, and licensing on the reputation of public relations. Perceived motives to impression manage in public relations, seen as advocacy behavior, had a main effect. Public relations was found to be less wellregarded when its practitioners were seen as acting with overt, intentional behaviors for self-gain compared with practitioners not appearing to be intentionally managing impressions. Mixed support was …

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Publication information: Article title: What the Public Thinks about Public Relations: An Impression Management Experiment. Contributors: Sallot, Lynne M. - Author. Journal title: Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly. Volume: 79. Issue: 1 Publication date: Spring 2002. Page number: 150+. © Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Winter 2007. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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