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Information Avoidance: Past Perspectives and Future Directions.

Jeremy L Foust1, Jennifer M Taber1

  • 1Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University.

Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science
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PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

People often avoid information, even with easy access. Understanding the reasons and factors behind information avoidance is crucial for future research and interventions.

Keywords:
conceptual reviewdeliberate ignoranceinformation avoidanceinformation managementinformation seekingmotivated reasoningostrich effect

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Area of Science:

  • Information Science
  • Psychology
  • Communication Studies

Background:

  • Information avoidance is a growing area of study with multiple definitions.
  • Key aspects include distinguishing avoidance from seeking, intentionality, temporality, and personal relevance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide a cross-disciplinary historical account of information avoidance and seeking.
  • To present a framework of antecedents influencing information avoidance.
  • To identify future research directions in information avoidance.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review synthesizing theories and empirical research.
  • Cross-disciplinary approach drawing from multiple fields.
  • Framework development for antecedents of information avoidance.

Main Results:

  • Information avoidance is influenced by beliefs about information, self, and social/situational factors.
  • Antecedents often overlap and are interconnected.
  • Distinguishing information avoidance from information seeking requires careful consideration.

Conclusions:

  • Further research is needed on the consequences and interventions for information avoidance.
  • Understanding the temporal dynamics and everyday manifestations of information avoidance is essential.
  • Developing comprehensive theoretical models to differentiate avoidance from seeking is a priority.