Does that sound right? The effects of regulatory fit and nonfit headline frames on motivated information processing

ABSTRACT

Feeling right or wrong about a message frame can be used as a heuristic to infer one’s motivational state and determine the depth of information processing. Two experiments examined how individuals’ regulatory fit/nonfit response to news headlines interact with their motivation to influence information elaboration and information seeking. Under high motivations, regulatory fit confirmed their state and increased time spent on the news, elaboration, and information seeking. However, under low motivation, regulatory fit decreased elaboration and information seeking. Instead, under low motivational states, nonfit headlines increased elaboration and information seeking. The study fills a gap in the cognitive mechanisms of framing effect by demonstrating that there exists a fast and intuitive framing effect through affective responses such as regulatory fit-ness.

KEYWORDS:

• Regulatory fit
• motivation
• heuristics
• framing
• elaboration

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Note to contributors

Yu-Hao Lee (Ph.D., Michigan State University) studies the effects of entertainment media and how people process information communicated through interactive media.

Bruce Getz (Ph.D., University of Florida) studies instructional communication through the lens of media psychology and media effects. He also teaches courses in production and broadcasting.

Min Xiao (M.A., University of Florida) is a Ph.D. candidate who is specialized in audience analytics and advertising effects.

ORCID

Min Xiao http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5367-4322

Notes

1 The headline frames are more in line with the promotion or prevention framing of regulatory fit studies here because the explicit focus is on the action. While improving communication and preventing miscommunication implies a gain or loss outcome, it is less explicit.