Metacognitive experiences as information: Processing fluency in consumer judgment and decision making

Thinking is accompanied by metacognitive experiences of ease or difficulty. People draw on these experiences as a source of information that can complement or challenge the implications of declarative information. We conceptualize the operation of metacognitive experiences within the framework of feelings-as-information theory and review their implications for judgments relevant to consumer behavior, including popularity, trust, risk, truth, and beauty.