Voluntary Exposure to Information During and after the War in Lebanon

This study tested the hypothesis that, regardless of the S's stand, voluntary exposure to information, as well as exposure to both sides, will be significantly greater during than after the war. A sample of 132 Lebanese male and female undergraduates consisting of three subsamples were used as Ss: (a) 59 Ss who continuously favored one side and were against the other throughout the 1975-76 war in Lebanon, (b) 30 Ss who had a neutral stand throughout the war, and (c) 43 Ss who were against both sides of the conflict. For all three subsamples, the results showed that amount of exposure to information, as well as exposure to both sides, was significantly greater during than after the war. These results were considered as supporting the importance of "utility of information" as a significant factor contributing to exposure preferences.