Cognition and Information Processing

As media environments become more pervasive, every incremental technological development further cements our reliance on media devices for information, entertainment, professional tasks, and social connection. Furthermore, as media texts themselves become increasingly complex, they are also simultaneously delivered and consumed across multiple media platforms and formats. Media scholars are therefore deeply interested in how audiences cognitively process and respond to this plethora of content. Research continues to demonstrate the intricate interrelationships between the cognitive processing of media content, attitude formation, and emotional (or affective) responses. These relationships in turn influence a range of social behaviors, including political choices, motivations to perform specific actions, positive affiliation and empathy for others, and interaction with other media users. Understanding how information processing occurs therefore has broad personal and ...