Communication process and cognitive organization I —A study of cognitive tuning—

Abstract

The present study was conducted, in developing Zajonc's study on “cognitive tuning” phenomena, to investigate in detail the interrelationships between the transmissionreception (T-R) conditions and the cognitive structure of certain information. In this study, therefore, T-R conditions as situational variables were dealt with in relation to the predispositions conditions as subject varialbles, and the content index of the cognitive structure as well as Zajonc's morphological index was used. The main findings are as follows. 1. The effects of the T-R and predispositions conditions on the cognitive tuning phenomena differ according to the properties (morphology and content) of the cognitive structure. 2. The level of the cognitive organization in morphological properties is directly related to the intensity of the predispositions. No appreciable interaction is found between the T-R and predispositions conditions. 3. The level of the cognitive organization in content properties is considerably influenced by the interaction of the predispositions with the T-R conditions: the level of the cognitive organization in content properties markedly increases, when the receiver's role is assigned to the subject having higher familiarity with a certain referent, or having deeper interest in it. 4. As to these results above-mentioned, some differences between morphological and content properties in the cognitive structure were discussed: it was suggested that the morphological index may reflect the general activation level of individuals, while the content index may reflect the specific psychological mechanism (such as defensive resistance to communication) of individuals who expect to receive certain information. © 1970, The Japanese Psychological Association. All rights reserved.