Consumer Information Processing Model

Concept	Definition	Application
Information Processing Capacity	Individuals' limitations in the amount of information they can acquire, use, and remember	Choose the most important and useful points to communicate, whether orally or in print materials
Information Search	Processing of acquiring and evaluating information; affected by motivation, attention and perception	Provide information so it takes little effort to obtain, draws consumer's attention, and is clear
Decision Rules/Heuristics	Rules of thumb, developed and used to help consumers select among alternatives	Learn key ways to synthesise information in ways that have meaning and appeal for your audience
Consumption and Learning	Internal feedback based on outcomes of choices, and use in future decisions	Keep in mind that people have probably made related choices in the past, and are not 'empty vessels'
Information Environment	Amount, location, format readability, and processability of relevant information	Design information tailored to the audience; place it conveniently for use

Placed on the Communication Initiative site July 29 2003
Last Updated July 29 2003

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Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 2009-10-21 07:55.

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Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 2006-08-30 08:44.

As a health educator, Theory at a Glance is the publication I refer to most in my professional life.