ABSTRACT
This chapter considers what happens psychologically when people receive media messages. As already seen, the media play an important role in assembling messages that people read, hear, or see. Individuals also play a critical role in the process of deciphering these messages. People interpret information in the context of their life experiences. Many of these experiences are stored in memory and drawn on to make sense of new information. We begin by analyzing the specific processes that take place when we encounter entertainment or information messages.
