INFORMATION PROCESSING 
the process through which a person is 

1. exposed to information 
2. attends to it 
3. comprehends it 
4. places it in memory and 
5. retrieves it for later use. 

PERCEPTION  
the process through which a person is 

• exposed to information, 
• attends to the information, and 
• comprehends the information 

Attention: 
a person allocates processing capacity to a stimulus 

Comprehension: 
a person interprets the information to obtain meaning from it 

ATTENTION 
the allocation of cognitive capacity to an object or task 

Types of Attention 

• voluntary attention:

a person actively searches out information that has personal relevance 


• selective attention:

a person selectively focuses attention on relevant information 


• involuntary attention:

a person is exposed to something surprising, novel, threatening, or unexpected 
- e.g.: 
• surprise 
• movement 
• unusual sounds 
• size of stimulus 
• contrast effects 
• color 

COMPREHENSION 

Interpretation processes: 
people draw upon their experience, memory and expectations to attach meaning to a stimulus 

Expectations: 
prior beliefs about what should happen in a given situation can influence the interpretation of information 

Semiotics: 
how it is that people interpret meaning from signs 

• signs: words, gestures, pictures, products, and logos used to communicate information 

INVOLVEMENT 
the process through which a person is influenced by the 

• perceived personal importance and/or 
• interest 

Personal importance increases as perceived risk increases. 

As involvement increases, a person has greater motivation to comprehend and elaborate on information salient to the purchase. 

Higher levels of involvement are expected to result in 

• a greater depth of information processing 
• increased arousal 
• more extended decision making 

• situation 
• product 
• personality 
• communication