Effects of Cognitive Complexity and Emotional Upset on Processing Supportive Messages: Two Tests of a Dual-Process Theory of Supportive Communication Outcomes

Abstract

We report tests of hypotheses derived from a theory of supportive communication outcomes that maintains the effects of supportive messages are moderated by factors influencing the motivation and ability to process these messages. Participants in two studies completed a measure of cognitive complexity, which provided an assessment of processing ability, and reported their degree of upset with a problem situation, which was hypothesized to impact both motivation and ability; they subsequently evaluated the helpfulness of comforting messages that varied in person centeredness. Consistent with predictions, an index of message processing depth-the degree to which participants discriminated between the helpfulness of better and worse supportive messages-was associated with the factors additively in both studies and interactively in one study.

Problem-Focused Content in the Job Search: Two Tests of the Cognitive-Emotional Theory of Esteem Support Messages

“…Although the current study sought to clarify the role of problem‐focused content in esteem support messages, such content's perceived effectiveness appears to depend on who is viewing it. One theoretical approach that may help in understanding these differences is the dual‐process theory of supportive message outcomes (e.g., Bodie, Burleson, Gill‐Rosier, et al, 2011; Bodie, Burleson, Holmstrom, et al, 2011). This theory posits that the effects of supportive message content may be moderated by how deeply the messages are processed.…”

The Nature of Supportive Listening II: The Role of Verbal Person Centeredness and Nonverbal Immediacy

“…Evidence for the connection between VPC comforting and skilled listening comes from research demonstrating that people with higher levels of interpersonal cognitive complexity (ICC)-the ability to acquire information about interpersonal situations and people-are more adept at producing HPC messages (Burleson, 2011). In addition, ICC has been linked to listening comprehension (Beatty & Payne, 1984), tendencies to remember conversations with others (Neuliep & Hazleton, 1986), and more sophisticated understanding of supportive communication in general (Bodie et al, 2011). Based on past research, we predicted the following: H1: VPC is positively correlated with perceptions of supportive listening.…”

The Role of Thinking in the Comforting Process

“…to the most relevant supportive information capable of alleviating negative affect; thus, the relationship is curvilinear (Bodie, Burleson, Holmstrom, et al, 2011). Given methodological choices made for this study, this relationship cannot be explored here.…”

“…As the human information processing system is finite, humans must make choices (conscious or unconscious) about the information in the environment that will be processed and used when engaged in a decisional task (Broadbent, 1958;Deutsch & Deutsch, 1963;Handel, 1989). Drawing from cognitive theories of emotion (e.g., Lazarus, 1991aLazarus, , 1991bLazarus & Folkman, 1984;Oatley & Johnson-Laird, 1987) and theories that propose various motivational roles for specific emotions (Izard & Ackerman, 2000), the dual-process theory of supportive message outcomes proposes that when faced with a situation eliciting negative affect, people are primarily motivated by a desire to feel better or the desire to ameliorate that affect (see Bodie, Burleson, Holmstrom, et al, 2011). Theoretically, as stressors or negative affect states become more severe, so should the desire to do something toward mitigating that affect.…”