1.Stimulus Reception: The audience member must first receive the physical stimuli associated with the message through one or more of their senses (e.g., hearing, sight, or touch). This could include spoken words, written text, visual images, or other sensory cues.
2.Sensory Registration: The received stimuli are registered by the sensory receptors (e.g., eyes, ears, or skin) and converted into electrical signals that the nervous system can process.
3.Attention: The audience member must direct their attention to the message. This involves a conscious or unconscious allocation of mental resources (such as focus and concentration) toward the incoming stimuli.
4.Perception: The process of perceiving the message occurs as the brain interprets and makes sense of the registered sensory information. This involves organizing, categorizing, and associating the incoming stimuli with existing knowledge, memories, and experiences.
5.Message Decoding: The audience member attempts to decode the meaning of the message by interpreting its content and structure. This includes understanding the language used, comprehending the intended message of the sender, and drawing inferences based on context and prior knowledge.
6.Memory Storage: The decoded message is temporarily stored in short-term memory, where it can be processed and integrated with existing knowledge. Depending on the individual's level of interest, attention, and engagement with the message, some aspects may be transferred to long-term memory for later retrieval and recollection.
7.Response Generation: Once the message has been perceived and interpreted, the audience member may form a response or reaction to it. This response could be a change in attitude, belief, behavior, or an emotional reaction, such as agreement, disagreement, or indifference.
It is important to note that these steps are not necessarily sequential and may occur simultaneously or iteratively. The specific processes and pathways may vary depending on the individual audience member's cognitive abilities, attention levels, prior knowledge, and the nature of the message itself.