Table 1.

Description of four types of information processing styles. Messages can be tailored to each of the styles for increased effectiveness.

Information Processing Style	Examples
Coping Style Differences in the way people respond to potentially threatening health information	Blunters: Individuals who tend to distract themselves from a threatening message in order to soften its psychological impact.
	Monitors: Individuals who tend to seek out and attend to information in a threatening message.
Need for Cognition Differences in people’s preferences for information complexity	High in need for cognition: Individuals who prefer detailed information of health messages. They like and pay attention to statistics and detailed explanations.
	Low in need for cognition: Individuals who prefer more superficial messages; they do not like or pay attention to detailed, complex messages. They may pay particular attention to who delivers the message – they are more likely to respond positively to messages delivered by an identified expert or a celebrity.
Health Locus of Control Differences in how people attribute causes for health outcomes	Internal health locus of control: Individuals who tend to attribute health outcomes to internal causes or influences, such as their own choices for engaging in a behavior (e.g., I have lung cancer because I smoked for 30 years.)
	External health locus of control: Individuals who tend to attribute health outcomes to external causes or influences, such as luck (e.g., I have lung cancer because I have bad luck.)
Regulatory Focus Differences in people’s motivations for engaging in behaviors	Promoters: Individuals who strive to accomplish goals; they are more likely to respond positively to messages that describe behaviors as helping them to achieve optimal health.
	Preventers: Individuals who tend to seek safety and avoid risk; they are more likely to respond positively to messages that describe behaviors as helping them to prevent diseases.