From Selective Exposure to Selective Information Processing: A Motivated Reasoning Approach
Date
2019-06-30
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Abstract
Literature suggests that while without doubt people engage in selective exposure to information, this does not entail that they also engage in selective avoidance of opinion-challenging information. However, cross-cutting exposure does not always lead to dispassionate deliberation. In this commentary I explore psychological conditions as they apply to attitude-based selection and make an argument that selectivity does not stop at exposure but continues as audiences engage with information they encounter and incorporate in their decision-making. I propose the theory of motivated reasoning as a rich theoretical underpinning that helps us understand selective exposure and selective information processing.
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Keywords
audience, information, information processing, Motivated reasoning, selective exposure, Audience, Information, Information processing, Motivated reasoning, Selective exposure
Citation
Copyright 2019 by the author; licensee Cogitatio (Lisbon, Portugal). This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY). Recommended citation: Camaj, Lindita. “From Selective Exposure to Selective Information Processing: A Motivated Reasoning Approach.” Media and Communication 7, (2019): 8-11. DOI: 10.17645/mac.v7i3.2289. Reproduced in accordance with the original publisher’s licensing terms and with permission from the author(s).