COGNITIVE PROCESSING OF FEAR-AROUSING MESSAGE CONTENT

Path analyses were conducted to test models consistent with prediction s made by the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and Heuristic-Systema tic Model (HSM) of cognitive processing. Levels of fear-arousing messa ge content and trait anxiety were controlled. Broken, out by fear-arou sing content, a control analogous to issue involvement, the data show antagonistic message processing. For low-fear message recipients, mess ages were processed centrally (systematically). For high-fear message recipients, there is evidence of peripheral (heuristic) processing. Br oken out by trait anxiety, a control analogous to both chronic fear an d need for cognition there is evidence of both concurrent and antagoni stic processing. For low-anxiety people, there is evidence of simultan eous processing of central (systematic) and peripheral (heuristic) cue s. For high-anxiety people, there is evidence of central, (systematic) processing.