Heuristic-systematic model of information processing: Difference between revisions

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== History ==

Early research investigating how people process persuasive messaging focused mainly on cognitive theories and the way the [[mind]] processed each element of a message. One of the early guiding principles of underlying motivations of persuasive communications came from [[Leon Festinger]]’s (1950) statement that incorrect or improper attitudes are generally maladaptive and can have deleterious behavioral and affective consequences.

In 1953, [[Carl Hovland|Hovland]], [[Irving Janis|Janis]], and Kelley noted that a sense of "rightness" accompanies holding opinions similar to the opinions of others. In 1987, Holtz and Miller reaffirmed this line of thought by noting, "When other people are perceived to hold similar attitudes, one's confidence in the validity of one's own attitude is increased."<ref name =Petty>Petty, R.E. & Cacioppo, J.T. (1986), Communication and Persuasion: Central and Peripheral Routes to Attitude Change. New York; Springer-Verlag</ref>

Another concept that contributed to the HSM was the [[sufficiency principle]]. This principle reflected widespread notions that people use limited [[Cognition|cognitive]] resources, or use an "economy-minded" approach to [[information processing (psychology)|information processing]] when presented with persuasive information. Based on this thought, early assumptions said people were at least partially guided by the "[[principle of least effort]]". This principle stated that in the interest of economy, the mind would often process with the least amount of effort (i.e., use a [[heuristic]]), and for more detailed information processing would use more effortful processing (systematic) processing. This was the major difference when compared with the ELM, which described the two different ways information was processed, through central and/or peripheral processing.<ref name=chaiken2>Chaiken, S., & Trope, Y. (1999). Dual-process theories in social psychology . New York: Guilford Press.</ref>

The developer and main researcher of the HSM was [[Shelly Chaiken]]. Under her direction, the HSM has undergone several major revisions. As she noted in 1980 and 1987, the model specified the two modes of heuristic and systematic processing. Then, Chaiken et al. noted in 1989 that the model was extended to specify the psychological conditions for triggering the modes of processing in terms of the discrepancy between actual and desired subjective confidence. In 1986, Chaiken, and others, updated the model to include underlying [[Motivation|motivations]].<ref name="dillard">Dillard, James, and Michael Pfau. The persuasion handbook: developments in theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2002. Print.</ref>

== Heuristic processing ==