Abstract
This paper reviews the literature on cognitive tuning sets: the expectations of having to transmit or receive information. It is shown that having to transmit information leads to a unified and distorted summary being transmitted, a reluctance to receive additional information, a rejection of inconsistent information, and a shaping of the material to accommodate the anticipated audience. As well, the opinions of the transmitters become polarized. It is argued that the receiver condition is probably not the correct control group to use since the outcome depends on the uncontrolled perceived goals. It is suggested that future research should probably treat the multiple effects of cognitive tuning sets separately. An integrated explanation is given in terms of anticipating the consequences of communication.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brilhart, B.L. (1965). The relationship between some aspects of communicative speaking and communicative listening.Journal of Communication, 15, 35–46.
Brock, T.C., & Fromkin, H.L. (1968). Cognitive tuning set and behavioral receptivity to discrepant information.Journal of Personality, 36, 108–125.
Burnstein, E., & Vinokur, A. (1975). What a person thinks upon learning he has chosen differently from others: Nice evidence for the persuasive-arguments explanation of choice shifts.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 11, 412–426.
Cohen, A.R. (1961). Cognitive tuning as a factor affecting impression formation.Journal of Personality, 29, 235–245.
Davis, E. (No date). Zajonc’s measures of cognitive structures: Some problems. Unpublished paper, Department of Psychology, Australian National University, lCanberra.
Duval, S., & Wicklund, R.A. (1972).A theory of objective self-awareness. New York: Academic Press.
Ede, L., & Lunsford, A. (1984). Audience addressed/audience invoked: The role of audience in composition theory and pedagogy.College Composition and Communication, 35, 155–171.
Freud, S. (1973).Introductory lectures on psycho-analysis. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin.
Harkins, S.G., Harvey J.H., Keithly, L., & Rich, M. (1977). Cognitive tuning, encoding, and the attribution of causality.Memory and Cognition, 5, 561–565.
Harvey, J.H., Harkins, S.G., & Kagehiro, D.K. (1976). Cognitive tung and the attribution of causality.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34, 708–715.
Hennigan, K.M., Cook, T.D., & Gruder, C.L. (1982). Cognitive tuning set, source credibility and the temporal persistence of attitude change.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, 412–425.
Higgins, E.T., McCann, C.D., & Fondacaro, R. (1982). The “Communication Game”: Goal-directed encoding and cognitive consequences.Social Cognition, 1, 21–37.
Hoffman, C., Mischel, W., & Baer, J.S. (1984). Language and person cognition: Effects of communicative set on trait attribution.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 1029–1043.
Holt, L.E., & Watts, W.A. (1969). Salience of logical relationships among beliefs as a factor in persuasion.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 11, 193–203.
Innes, J.M. (1981). Polarization of response as a function of cognitive tuning set and individual differences.Social Behavior and Personality, 9, 213–218.
Leventhal, H. (1962). The effects of set and discrepancy on impression formation.Journal of Personality, 30, 1–15.
Markus, H., & Zajonc, R.B. (1985). The cognitive perspective in social psychology. In G. Lindzey & E. Aronson (Eds.),Handbook of social psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 137–230). New York: Random House.
Mazis, M.B. (1973). Cognitive tuning and receptivity to novel information.Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, 9, 307–319.
McFarland, C., Ross, M., & Conway, M. (1984). Self-persuasion and self-presentation as mediators of anticipatory attitude change.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 529–540.
McGuire, W.J. (1968). The nature of attitudes and attitude change. In G. Lindzey & E. Aronson (Eds.),Handbook of social psychology (Vol. 3, pp. 136–314). Reading, MA: Addison Wesley.
Moore, J.C. (1974). Audience effects in a communication chain: An instance of ingratiation.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 1, 58–61.
Petty, R.E., Ostrom, T.M. & Brock, T.C. (1981).Cognitive responses in persuasion. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Powell, F.A. (1974). Cognitive tuning and differentiation of arguments in communication.Human Communication Research, 1, 53–61.
Scott, W.A. (1968). Attitude measurement. In G. Lindzey & E. Aronson (Eds.),Handbook of social psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 204–273). Reading, MA: Addison Wesley.
Tesser, A. (1978). Self-generated attitude change. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.),Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (Vol. 11, pp. 289–338). New York: Academic Press.
Tetlock, P.E. (1983). Accountability and complexity of thought.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 74–83.
Warr, P.B., & Knapper, C. (1968).The perception of people and events. London: Wiley.
Watts, W.A., & Holt, L.E. (1970). Logical relationships among beliefs and timing as factors in persuasion.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 16, 571–582.
Yarkin, K.L., Town, J.P., & Harvey, J.H. (1981). The role of cognitive sets in interpreting and remembering interpersonal events. In J.H. Harvey (Ed.),Cognition, social behavior, and the environment (pp. 289–308). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Zajonc, R.B. (1955).Structure of the cognitive field. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Michigan.
Zajonc, R.B. (1960). The process of cognitive tuning and communication.Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 61, 159–167.
Zajonc, R.B. & Adelmann, P.K. (1987). cognition and communication: A story of missed opportunities.Social Science Information, 26, 3–30.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This work was supported by a grant from the Australian Research Grants Scheme.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Guerin, B., Innes, J.M. Cognitive tuning sets: Anticipating the consequences of communication. Current Psychology 8, 234–249 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02686752
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02686752