The Who, What, Where, When, and Why of a message is associated with which component?

• A. Affective Component
• B. Behavioral Component
• C. Cognitive Component
• D. Verbal Component

Answer: (C)

These questions target the mental processing involved in understanding a message. The cognitive component covers beliefs, knowledge, and the conscious processing of information about a topic. Asking who sent the message, what it says, where and when it was produced, and why it matters prompts you to analyze, interpret, and relate the content to what you already know. That deliberate thinking and evaluation fit the cognitive dimension best.

In contrast, the affective component is about feelings or attitudes toward the message, and the behavioral component concerns actions or intended actions. Verbal refers to the content being communicated rather than a distinct attitude dimension, so it doesn’t map to a separate component here.