Receiver apprehension: An explanatory model and accompanying research

Abstract

This paper argues that processing demand (the relationship between cognitive ability and message complexity), evaluation, and motivation must be taken into consideration in order to adequately account for receiver apprehension. Processing demand is an incomplete explanation of receiver apprehension because one's motivation (vis., the desire to process a message) and the expectation that one will have to reproduce some aspect of the message for inspection by others (i.e., evaluation) are also important factors in receiver apprehension. Two studies described in this article offer empirical support for these claims.