PERCEIVED RISK, INFORMATION PROCESSING, AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOR.

The article focuses on the book "Perceived Risk, Information Processing and Consumer Behavior. The major feature of the book, according to the author is that it is an excellent example of how solid intellectual and applied results can be obtained only through a systematic and enduring research program. Researcher Raymond Bauer brought with him the notion that mass media communication is a two-way process, that is, the role of audiences is not only passive but also, and crucially, active. This notion was gradually made more specific. One of the ways in which a consumer is active is his search, evaluation, use, and transmission of information. Consciously or not, information may be needed to find out and assess the performance characteristics of a product, brand, or service and its psychosocial characteristics. These needs for information as well as the cognitive and motivational mechanisms by which this information is processed pervade daily problem solving and decision making and, eventually, contribute to the realization of overt acts of buying.