The Robertson Panel: The History and Legacy of the Secret Government Committee that Investigated UFO Sightings in America

Hadley Cantril's study was launched immediately after the broadcast to give an account of people's reactions and an answer to the question, Why the panic? Originally published by Princeton University Press in 1940, the book explores the latent anxieties that lead to mass hysteria.Originally published in 1982.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905. From the Publisher: "On Halloween night 1938, Orson Welles broadcast a radio adaptation of the H. G. Wells fantasy, The War of the Worlds. What listeners heard sounded so realistic that at least a million were frightened by word that "strange creatures" from Mars had landed in central New Jersey and were "unleashing a deadly assault." Several thousand were so terrified they ran into the streets, drove away in their cars, or called the police for information about how to escape. Why did so many panic when the circumstances reported were so improbable? That is just the question Hadley Cantril, then a young social psychologist, set out to answer." Originally published in 1940, The Invasion from Mars remains a classic. The broadcast provided a unique real-life opportunity to explore why the relatively new medium of radio could have such an effect. Using a mix of research methods, Cantril shows that the impact of the broadcast had less to do with what went out over the air than with the "standards of judgment" people did or did not use in evaluating what they were hearing. This book is of continuing value to those interested in communications and mass behavior. 1: Incredible as it may seem Broadcast (script / Howard Koch) 2: It was something terrible Nature and extent of the panic 3: It didn't sound like a play How the stimulus was experienced 4: We'd better do something Description of reactions 5: I figured Critical ability 6: I'm so worried Conditions inhibiting critical ability 7: Being in a troublesome world Historical setting 8: My background Individual case 9: Jitters have come to roost Why the panic? Appendix A: Miscellaneous information Appendix B: Interview schedule Appendix C: tables Index.