Editing Vested interest (communication theory) (section)

===The effect of smoking on attitudes toward cigarette tax and smoking restrictions===
Dale Miller and Rebecca Ratner<ref name="M&R">{{cite journal | last1 = Miller | first1 = D. | last2 = Ratner | first2 = R. | year = 1998 | title = The Disparity Between the Actual and Assumed Power of Self-Interest | journal = Journal of Personality and Social Psychology | volume = 74 | issue = 1| pages = 53–62 | doi = 10.1037/0022-3514.74.1.53 | pmid = 9457775 }}</ref> conducted this study utilizing 81 male and female students at the University of Yale. In this experiment the objective was for half of the participants to show their own attitude toward smoking policies and the other half to show their thoughts on others attitudes toward smoking policies. The group with the questionnaire regarding their personal attitude about smoking were asked: 1. if they were a smoker or a nonsmoker, 2. how heavy or light a smoker they were, 3. whether they would support an increase on cigarette tax, 4. would they do away with smoking advertisements, and 5. their thoughts on smoking restrictions in public places. The second half of the participants were asked what percentage they thought smokers would support the previously mentioned policies for smokers or nonsmokers. They were not asked whether or not they smoked. The results of this study replicated Green and Gerkin's 1989 study<ref>Green, D., & Gerken, A. (1989). Self-interest and public opinion toward smoking restrictions and cigarette taxes. Public Opinion Quarterly, 53, 1-16</ref> that nonsmokers had more support for smoking restrictions than did those that smoke.<ref name="M&R"/> These results supported the hypothesis: "Smokers in this study were more opposed to policies that regulated smoking than were nonsmokers, but the effect of smoking status on expressed attitudes was significantly less than that predicted by respondents".<ref name="M&R"/> The smokers had a higher vested interest in smoking policies because they were directly affected. This study also revealed a direct correlation between vested interest and attitudes.<ref name="M&R"/>