Heuristic reasoning : an examination of the relationship between need for cognition and one's proclivity for making heuristic-based judgments

Research dealing with the personality trait need for cognition and the trait's implications for the Elaboration Likelihood Model answer many questions about how people react to written persuasive communication. The same research, however, leaves other questions unanswered. Combining research dealing with the construct "need for cognition" with earlier work dealing with human beings' proclivity for making heuristic-based probability judgments led to this study's hypothesizing the existence of the constructs heuristic reasoning and cognitive reasoning. People low in need for cognition were found to engage in heuristic reasoning when required to evaluate a persuasive message. People high in need for cognition were found to use cognitive reasoning up to a certain point during an encounter with the same persuasive communication. Upon reaching that point, the result of their cognitive activities became their heuristic cue which was used in further, heuristic-based evaluative considerations of the communication.