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Recent third-person perception articles suggest that optimistic bias is the mechanism underlying the perceptual bias but fail to empirically test the assumption. A small inverse relationship between third-person perception and optimistic bias was found among the youth surveyed: 51% of the students exhibited third-person perceptions, believing they were less influenced by televised safer-sex messages than were their peers. These students were less optimistic about their chances of becoming HIV infected than their peers; 34% exhibited first-person perceptions, believing they were more influenced by the messages than were peers, and were more optimistic than were their peers concerning HIV infection. Most students (89%) exhibited some degree of optimistic bias regarding their chances of avoiding HIV infection in the future. The findings effectively link the two literatures within a sample neglected by previous studies: urban, minority, at-risk youth. The study advances knowledge of third-person perceptions by suggesting underlying social-psychological mechanisms.

Healthcare workers are at an elevated risk of workplace violence. Optimistic bias is the misperception that bad things happen to other people. This article discusses the study methods that included a convenience sample (n = 488) of healthcare professionals in multiple hospitals in one region. A survey of these professionals to explore potential bias related to workplace violence found that participants exhibited realistic (or pessimistic) risk perception about the likelihood of experiencing workplace violence. Front-line workers (e.g., nurses and interns) exhibited pessimistic bias, believing they were more likely than professionals in other fields to experience physical violence at work. Risk perception was related to age with young professionals being more optimistic. The discussion section offers implications for practice to incorporate safety measures that can mitigate risk of workplace violence.