Thirty years since Kunda: addressing critiques to reimagine a model of motivated reasoning

Abstract

Following Kunda’s (1990) defense of the influence of motivations on reasoning, a growing body of communication research has coalesced around the idea that specific motivations can influence decision-making. At the same time, this body of research has been subjected to criticisms highlighting alternative explanations that do not involve motivated processes. The present study contributes to this conversation by reviewing the evidence around motivated reasoning as reflected in empirical communication research over the past 30 years (k = 143), focusing on the framework’s key components: motivation, reasoning, and responses. The findings identify considerable gaps, including a limited focus on distinct motivations, an underemphasis on reasoning, and a concentration on a narrow set of responses. This article concludes by proposing the Motivation-Reasoning-Response Model, which visually summarizes the findings of this review and indicates possible opportunities for future research.