Message Processing Research from Psychology to Communication.
Michael D. Basil · 1991
Information processing theories have been very useful in psychology. The application of information processing litbrature to communication, however, requires definitions of audiences and definitions of messages relevant to information-processing theories. In order to establish the relevant aspect of audiences, a multiple-stage model of audiences is presented which includes attention, initial processing, 6emantic and heuristic processing, judgments, affective evaluation and memory. A model of relevant message attributes are also identified: modality, features, content, complexity, and affect. Comparing how each of these stages of processing may be affected by ean of these dimensions of messages is the next necessary step in applying psychological theories of information processing to communication messages. It is an important step in developing a common theory of message processing. But since messages can be identified along infinite dimensions, identifying whether particular attributes are relevant raises debate about what constitutes a mesuage. (Two tables and 2 figures are included; 101 references are attached.) (Author) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************