ABSTRACT
The need for cognition (NFC) is an individual characteristic or personality trait expected to influence motivation, processing, and effects of messages, especially persuasive messages. The NFC is “an individual’s tendency to engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive activity” (Cacioppo & Petty, 1982, p. 116). Based on the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM; Petty & Cacioppo, 1986), NFC is expected to influence motivation to process messages centrally, making changes in attitude and behavior more likely to occur (Harrington, Lane, Donohew, & Zimmerman, 2006). High NFC individuals enjoy challenging cognitive tasks, have increased motivation to engage in such tasks, and exhibit increased cognitive effort to process messages than low NFC individuals (see, e.g., Cacioppo & Petty, 1982; Cacioppo, Petty, Kao, & Rodriguez, 1986; Cacioppo, Petty, & Morris, 1983; Harrington et al., 2006; Thompson, Chaiken, & Hazelwood, 1993).
