El uso de los medios de comunicación y la elaboración cognitiva: El papel mediador de la eficacia mediática

This study examines the relationship between news use and elaboration while introducing the mediating role of people’s perception of how different media helps them understand complex issues. The construct—media efficacy—is conceptualized as an individual’s perception of helpfulness of a news medium in understanding complex issues. Analysis from a two-wave panel study showed the relationship between news media use and elaboration was fully mediated by media efficacy. This research advances the Cognitive Mediation Model scholarship by introducing a new mediating variable, media efficacy, and examining its relationship with cognitive elaboration.