Abstract

Integrating the limited capacity of message processing theory and the heuristic view of persuasion, we examine how the simultaneous exposure to two competing heuristic cues influences the cognitive and affective responses to online movie reviews. Study results reveal that high consensuses from both movie critics and peer reviewers led to increased trust in the movie. Both perception (i.e., trust in the movie) and affective responses (i.e., anxiety) resulted in the behavioral intention of watching the movie. Study findings clarify the cognitive and affective processing of two competing heuristic cues (i.e., credibility and consensus) and the resulting effect in online information processing.

Key Words: Competing Heuristic Cues, Persuasion, Message Processing, Path Analysis, Online Movie Reviews

About the Authors

• Tao (Jennifer) Ma (Ph.D., University of Connecticut) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mass Communication, Winona State University, Winona, United States of America. Her studies apply advanced quantitative research methods, including longitudinal, multilevel, structural equation modeling, and meta-analyses, to investigate the influences of mediated and strategic communication on social changes at the individual, institutional, and societal levels. Her research interests span the areas of integrated marketing communication, new media technology, health communication, and the persuasion process under consumer heuristics and social influences.

**  David John Atkin (Ph.D., Michigan State University) is a Professor of Communication at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, United States of America and an Associate Editor of Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. His research interests include the diffusion of emerging media and program formats, political communication, and media policy. His books include The Televiewing Audience (2002; 2011), Communication Technology and Society (2002), Communication Technology & Society (2007), and Audience Genre Expectations in the Age of Digital Media (2023).

^JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 16, No. 2, October 2024, pp. 81-89

© Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON).

Article Citation

Ma, T. J. & Atkin, D. J. (2024). Cognition under Simultaneous Exposure to Competing Heuristic Cues in Online Movie Reviews. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 16 (2): 81-89.

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