A key objective in this chapter is to help you think strategically about persuading others. In persuasion literature a number of research studies have explored personality characteristics that influence how people react to persuasive messages. A person’s need for cognition addresses the extent to which he or she wants to think about information.

Those who have a greater need for cognition will react differently to persuasive messages than those who have a lower need for cognition. By using this survey, you can determine your personal need for cognition when being persuaded.

To score the Need for Cognition Scale, you should first reverse-code items 2, 3, 5, and 6 (i.e., a score of 5 should now be a 1, a score of 4 should now be a 2, and vice versa).

Then average responses for all items; higher values indicate a greater need for cognition. Although reliable national norms for this scale have not been identified, an average above the midpoint of 3 would certainly indicate a higher need for cognition, whereas values below the midpoint would indicate a lower need for cognition. As you compare your score with those of your classmates, is your need for cognition higher or lower?