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News cues: Information scent and cognitive heuristics

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  • S. Shyam Sundar
  • Silvia Knobloch‐Westerwick
  • Matthias R. Hastall

Abstract

Google News and other newsbots have automated the process of news selection, providing Internet users with a virtually limitless array of news and public information dynamically culled from thousands of news organizations all over the world. In order to help users cope with the resultant overload of information, news leads are typically accompanied by three cues: (a) the name of the primary source from which the headline and lead were borrowed, (b) the time elapsed since the story broke, and (c) the number of related articles written about this story by other news organizations tracked by the newsbot. This article investigates the psychological significance of these cues by positing that the information scent transmitted by each cue triggers a distinct heuristic (mental shortcut) that tends to influence online users' perceptions of a given news item, with implications for their assessment of the item's relevance to their information needs and interests. A large 2 × 3 × 6 within‐subjects online experiment (N = 523) systematically varied two levels of the source credibility cue, three levels of the upload recency cue and six levels of the number‐of‐related‐articles cue in an effort to investigate their effects upon perceived message credibility, newsworthiness, and likelihood of clicking on the news lead. Results showed evidence for source primacy effect, and some indication of a cue‐cumulation effect when source credibility is low. Findings are discussed in the context of machine and bandwagon heuristics.

Suggested Citation

  • S. Shyam Sundar & Silvia Knobloch‐Westerwick & Matthias R. Hastall, 2007. "News cues: Information scent and cognitive heuristics," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 58(3), pages 366-378, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jamist:v:58:y:2007:i:3:p:366-378
    DOI: 10.1002/asi.20511
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    Cited by:

    1. Weiwei Zhu & Gaorong Zhang & Qi Shen & Chuanhui Liao, 2022. "The Dynamics of Public Attention to Online Disaster Information," International Journal of Social Science Studies, Redfame publishing, vol. 10(3), pages 56-66, May.
    2. Mary Rani Thomas & Kavya .V. & Mary Monica, 2018. "Online Website Cues Influencing the Purchase Intention of Generation Z Mediated by Trust," Indian Journal of Commerce and Management Studies, Educational Research Multimedia & Publications,India, vol. 9(1), pages 13-23, January.
    3. Wu Li & Pengya Ai & Annette Ding, 2023. "More Than Just Numbers: How Engagement Metrics Influence User Intention to Pay for Online Knowledge Products," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(1), pages 21582440221, January.
    4. Annye Braca & Pierpaolo Dondio, 2023. "Developing persuasive systems for marketing: the interplay of persuasion techniques, customer traits and persuasive message design," Italian Journal of Marketing, Springer, vol. 2023(3), pages 369-412, September.
    5. Wallace Chipidza & Jie (Kevin) Yan, 2022. "The effectiveness of flagging content belonging to prominent individuals: The case of Donald Trump on Twitter," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 73(11), pages 1641-1658, November.
    6. Xin Wen & Liang Xu & Jie Wang & Yuan Gao & Jiaming Shi & Ke Zhao & Fuyang Tao & Xiuying Qian, 2022. "Mental States: A Key Point in Scam Compliance and Warning Compliance in Real Life," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-16, July.
    7. Yanqin Lu & Jae Kook Lee, 2022. "Investigating effects of social endorsements on exposure to and engagement with political disagreement on social networking sites," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 103(1), pages 214-224, January.
    8. Hutzinger, Clemens & Weitzl, Wolfgang J., 2021. "Co-creation of online service recoveries and its effects on complaint bystanders," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 525-538.
    9. Frank Kun-Yueh Chou & Abbott Po-Shun Chen & Vincent Cheng-Lung Lo, 2021. "Mindless Response or Mindful Interpretation: Examining the Effect of Message Influence on Phishing Susceptibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-25, February.

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