Word: Third person effect

Definition: The notion that a person exposed to persuasive mass media communication believes it to have a greater effect on others than on herself. The person will essentially over predict the influence that such techniques will have on others.

Reference: The third-person effect was first introduced by W. Phillips Davison in 1983. Davison's theory says that people not only overestimate media impact on others, but they also deny that the mass media has an impact on themselves.

Thoughts: The way messaging influences user psychology is important to remember when designing anything meant to effect user decision-making. People do not like to think of themselves as easily swayed because it means that we are not in control or thinking freely. While this does not have a direct effect on a UX research method or a specified UI trend, it is helpful to understand and consider when making design choices meant to influence others.