Communicating through pictures and words: Understanding the role of affect and cognition in processing visual and verbal information

The interaction of affect and cognition was explored as four types of processor groups (high affect/low cognition, low affect/high cognition, high affect/high cognition, and low affect/low cognition) and investigated in terms of responses to a visual stimulus, a verbal stimulus, and a combination visual/verbal stimulus. This exploratory investigation suggests that high-affect individuals (affective processors) respond more favorably to a visual ad than the other groups, and individuals high in both affect and cognition (combined processors) respond more favorably to a combination visual/verbal ad. Theoretical and managerial implications as well as directions for future research are discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[1]  D. Moore,et al.  Affect Intensity: An Individual Difference Response to Advertising Appeals , 1995 .

[2]  G. Zaltman.  Rethinking Market Research: Putting People Back In , 1997 .

[3]  N. Ressler.  Rewards and punishments, goal-directed behavior and consciousness , 2004, Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews.

[4]  A. A. Mitchell,et al.  The Effect of Verbal and Visual Components of Advertisements on Brand Attitudes and Attitude Toward the Advertisement , 1986 .

[5]  J. L. Giese,et al.  The Influence of Personality Traits on the Processing of Visual and Verbal Information , 2001 .

[6]  B. Kahn,et al.  The Influence of Positive Affect on Variety Seeking among Safe, Enjoyable Products , 1993 .

[7]  C. F. Kao,et al.  The efficient assessment of need for cognition. , 1984, Journal of personality assessment.

[8]  Michael J. Sherrard,et al.  The role of sensation seeking and need for cognition on web-site evaluations : a resource-matching perspective , 2005 .

[9]  G. Clore,et al.  Mood, misattribution, and judgments of well-being: Informative and directive functions of affective states. , 1983 .

[10]  J. Cacioppo,et al.  Effects of need for cognition on message evaluation, recall, and persuasion. , 1983 .

[11]  James J. Gibson,et al.  The Information Available in Pictures , 1971 .

[12]  James M. Munch,et al.  The Effects of Argument Structure and Affective Tagging on Product Attitude Formation , 1993 .

[13]  P. Salovey,et al.  Perceiving affective content in ambiguous visual stimuli: a component of emotional intelligence. , 1990, Journal of personality assessment.

[14]  D. Moore,et al.  Affect Intensity and the Consumer's Attitude toward High Impact Emotional Advertising Appeals , 1996 .

[15]  K. Millar,et al.  Attitude change as a function of attitude type and argument type. , 1990 .

[16]  Jane Z. Sojka,et al.  The Relationship between Processing Styles and Self-Control Behavioral Characteristics , 1998 .

[17]  Need for Cognition Related to Time Perception , 1986, Perceptual and motor skills.

[18]  J. Cacioppo,et al.  DISPOSITIONAL DIFFERENCES IN COGNITIVE MOTIVATION : THE LIFE AND TIMES OF INDIVIDUALS VARYING IN NEED FOR COGNITION , 1996 .

[19]  M. Booth-Butterfield,et al.  Conceptualizing Affect as Information in Communication Production. , 1990 .

[20]  J. Cacioppo,et al.  The affect system has parallel and integrative processing components: Form follows function. , 1999 .

[21]  J. Cacioppo,et al.  Central and Peripheral Routes to Advertising Effectiveness: The Moderating Role of Involvement , 1983 .

[22]  Terry L. Childers,et al.  Measurement of Individual Differences in Visual Versus Verbal Information Processing , 1985 .

[23]  Chris Janiszewski,et al.  The Influence of Print Advertisement Organization on Affect Toward a Brand Name , 1990 .

[24]  W. Mcguire.  Some Internal Psychological Factors Influencing Consumer Choice , 1976 .

[25]  R. Larsen,et al.  Affect intensity as an individual difference characteristic: A review , 1987 .

[26]  Michel Tuan Pham.  Representativeness, Relevance, and the Use of Feelings in Decision Making , 1998 .

[27]  S. Dornič,et al.  Tolerance for mental effort: Self-ratings related to perception, performance and personality , 1991 .

[28]  J. Cacioppo,et al.  The need for cognition. , 1982 .

[29]  Kenneth D. Bahn,et al.  Literal versus extended symbolic messages and advertising effectiveness: The moderating role of need for cognition , 2006 .

[30]  R. Zajonc,et al.  Affective and Cognitive Factors in Preferences , 1982 .

[31]  R. Zajonc.  Feeling and thinking : Preferences need no inferences , 1980 .

[32]  Terry L. Childers,et al.  Conditions for a Picture-Superiority Effect on Consumer Memory , 1984 .

[33]  F. Kardes,et al.  The Role of Direction of Comparison, Attribute-Based Processing, and Attitude-Based Processing in Consumer Preference , 1999 .

[34]  Chingching Chang.  Ad–self‐congruency effects: Self‐enhancing cognitive and affective mechanisms , 2005 .

[35]  D. A. Kenny,et al.  Interpersonal perception and metaperception in nonoverlapping social groups. , 1997, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[36]  H. Rao Unnava,et al.  An Imagery-Processing View of the Role of Pictures in Print Advertisements , 1991 .