Need for cognition and rumination: Alternate explanations for sex differences in disaster information seeking

Abstract

While a long history of research in crisis communication has suggested sex differences in information seeking, little has addressed the underlying reasons why this may be the case. The current study examines information seeking behaviors in the time leading up to Hurricane Dorian, and suggests that these differences may be a function of ruminative processing tendencies. Sex differences in information seeking are moderated such that they attenuate at higher levels of rumination. Implications for our understanding of audience responses and emergency management are discussed, along with differences in sex role normalization that may play a factor in the observed data.

Keywords

• Crisis communication
• Hurricane
• Risk management
• Information processing
• Rumination