Source: Holbrook and O'Shaughnessy, 1984
The debate between the roles of cognition and emotion in advertising evaluation is similar to that of the old adage, "Which came first, the cart or the horse?". Biological and Behavioral theorists contend that emotions are the result of physiological responses to external changes in environment or repeated stimuli. Little attention is paid to the intellectual side of stimulus reception. A basic flow of these theories might resemble this:
Stimulus-> Physiological Response-> Emotion
In contrast, Cognitive theorists add the element of cognitive evaluation in harmony with physiological response to stimuli. While other schools of thought neglect the concept of an individual's active participation in the creation of emotional response, Cognitive theorists maintain that emotions are the product of a synthesis between physiological and cognitive experiences. A revised cognitive model might resemble the following:
Stimulus-> Physiological Response + Cognitive Evaluation-> Emotion
Most scholars (Stout and Leckenby, 1986; Chaudhuri, 1998; Martineau, 1957; Holbrook and O'Shaughnessy, 1984; Plummer and Holman, 1981; Edell and Burke, 1987; Lazarus, 1991; and Plutchik, 1980) agree that both cognitive and emotional evaluations of advertisements play a role in message interpretation and acceptance. The differences among these observers lie in the order and intensity with which each is applied to advertising evaluation.
Plummer and Holman (1981) place primary emphasis on emotional responses to advertising. Their Communication Perspective submits that cognitive responses are memory structures which cannot be recalled and/or built until emotional stimuli are presented to evoke or construct them from our past. Under this premise, emotion-laden advertising is the most effective way toŕinvolve memory processes which will, in turn, allow the viewer to interpret the advertising message. Plutchik's (1980) theory agrees with those who emphasize emotion over cognition in message processing. he claims that emotion is the center of life, guiding all behavior in functional ways. Plutchik goes to far as to pinpoint eight emotional states which serve as the derivative of all other emotions. These eight emotional starting points include anticipation, acceptance, surprise, joy, fear, anger, sadness and disguist.
Other researchers including Chaudhuri (1998) and Edell and Burke (1987) support the idea that consumers must process the message logically before emotional values are transferred to the ad/product. Chaudhuri (1998) explains that the nature of the product advertised plays a key role in determining the amount of cognition required to process an advertising message. Specifically, the amount of perceived risk associated with purchase pre-determines the level of interest given to a product's message.
It is by far the majority of advertising and communication analysts (Stout and Leckenby, 1986; Holbrook and O'Shaughnessy, 1984; Lazarus, 1991) who agree that consumers' cognitive and emotional interpretations of advertising messages work hand-in-hand, each influencing the other. Stout and Leckenby (1986) reveal that an individual's level of emotional response lies in their ability to find empathy in a situation. This empathy can be found on either a rational or affective level, leading to descriptive, empathic or experiential responses. Furthering an earlier observation which supported both cognitive and emotional influences on message processing, Holbrook and O'Shaughnessy (1984) point out that many psychologists agree that emotional response involves an interaction between cognition and physiology.
Source: Holbrook and O'Shaughnessy, 1984
They go on to say, "Emotion involves cognition in at least two senses- first, in appraisal and, second, in attribution." (p.53). Lazarus (1991) typifies an interrelation between cognition and emotion by explaining that a personal stake must be involved in communication, or else it will not generate an emotion. Once the emotion is perceived, cognitive measures will be applied in order to appraise the meaning of the emotion.
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