The Effects of Consumer Prior Knowledge and Processing Strategies on Judgments

Four studies examine how the manner in which information is presented influences experts' and novices' judgments of a persuasive message. Experts' message evaluations were more favorable when brand benefits were framed as a gain rather than a nonloss (Study 1), introduced in a manner that prompted a sense of locomotion rather than assessment (Study 2), presented benefits at a high rather than low level of construal (Study 3), and were expected to materialize in the distant rather than near future (Study 4). Novices exhibited the opposite pattern of outcomes. Mediation analysis suggested that these results occurred because presenting information in a manner that fit with message recipients' expertise created a positive subjective experience that enhanced evaluation.