Chapter 17 Information seeking, scanning, and processing
Nehama Lewis · 2025
This chapter defines and conceptualizes health information seeking and scanning, which are core constructs in health communication that have been shown to impact a range of psychosocial outcomes and behaviors. We describe health information seeking and scanning behaviors in relation to information processing models, using the elaboration likelihood model (ELM: Petty & Cacioppo, 1986) and heuristic systematic models (HSM: Chaiken, Lieberman & Eagly, 1989) as guiding conceptual frameworks to examine the intersection between seeking, scanning, and information processing. We review the theoretical and behavioral theories and contexts in which seeking and scanning have been conceptualized in health communication research. The chapter focuses particularly on recent research on seeking and scanning in relation to theories of information processing and attitude change. We discuss the role of individual moderators of elaboration likelihood (ability and motivation to process information), as well as source and content heuristics and external factors that may influence this relationship. The chapter considers how constructs from information processing may be associated with different patterns of seeking and scanning, and how this may influence the effects of information that is obtained through these behaviors on attitudes and behaviors. We describe the methods, measures and contexts that have been used to test these relationships, limitations of current research, and offer guidelines for new research directions. Finally, we discuss implications of research on seeking, scanning, and information processing for the design of persuasive health communication messages and campaigns.