Multiple Resource Theory I

Abstract

Comprehending television is a complex process. Multiple resource theory proposes that the necessary resources are limited. Limitations, however, depend on four separate factors. First, resources are used by three different tasks—attention, meaning-level processing, and memory. Demands arise from individual tasks and combinations. The consequences of reaching limitations are different for each task. Second, television's auditory and visual modalities use different symbol systems. Audio information might be more difficult to process and requires more resources. Third, television stimuli might contain the meaningful information in either the auditory or visual modality. Meaningful information might require more processing and resources and should result in resource shifts. Fourth, television programs use varying levels of redundancy. Whereas processing two modalities generally requires additional resources, actual demands depend on the level and nature of the redundancy. As a result of these four factors, resource limitations can inhibit one process, modality, or attribute. Systematic study of these outcomes is necessary.

Looking for Efficiency: How Online News Structure and Emotional Tone Influence Processing Time and Memory

“…This study draws on the propositions of the LC4MP (Lang, 2006). A basic tenet of LC4MP is that people have a finite (limited) pool of cognitive resources available to devote to processing mediated messages (Basil, 1994;Schneider & Shiffrin, 1977). Such resources are simultaneously distributed across the basic cognitive subprocesses of encoding, storage, and retrieval (Lang, 2006).…”

Negative video as structure: Emotion, attention, capacity, and memory

“…This definition comes out of limited capacity attention theories (Broadbent, 1982;Kahneman, 1973;Posner, 1978) and has been applied to the problem of processing television messages. This study uses secondary task reaction time to index capacity allocation (Basil, 1994;Reeves, Thorson, & Schleuder, 1986). Watching the news stories is the primary task and pushing the reaction time button is the secondary task.…”

“…This study also considers how capacity is allocated among memory processes, presentation, and the two channels of information presentation. The limited capacity approach and multiple resource approaches like the one suggested by Basil (1994) suggest that a structural feature which occurs in one channel may draw capacity to that specific channel and that the additional capacity may come from further processing (e.g. rehearsal and storage) of information previously presented in that specific channel.…”

Effect of Immersive Virtual Reality on Pain and Anxiety at a Veterans Affairs Health Care Facility

“…The Gate Control, Multiple Resource, and Neuromatrix Theories of Pain explain the mechanism of action of VR in pain reduction. These theories purport that pain is influenced by sensory, affective, and cognitive inputs (Basil, 1994;Indovina et al, 2018;Smith et al, 2020). Since the human brain has a finite processing capacity, VR saturates the brain with engaging positive stimuli thus blocking/distracting from the pain signals resulting in pain reduction (Kahneman, 1973;Eccleston, 1999Eccleston, , 2001Hoffman et al, 2007Hoffman et al, , 2011Tack, 2019;Hoffman, 2021).…”