Transfer-Appropriate Processing, Response Fluency, and the Mere Measurement Effect

The mere measurement of a person's intention to behave has been shown to influence his or her likelihood of engaging in the behavior. The mere measurement effect has been attributed to an increased accessibility of the attitude toward the behavior. Another source of the mere measurement effect may be the redundancy in the cognitive processes used to generate the mere measurement response and the cognitive processes used to decide whether to engage in the behavior. Process redundancy creates a fluency that can be interpreted as supportive of the behavioral tendency. Across eight studies, the authors show that processing fluency also contributes to the mere measurement effect.

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