The concept of Need for Orientation introduced in the early years of agenda-setting research provided a psychological
explanation for why agenda-setting effects occur in terms of what individuals bring to the media experience that
determines the strength of these effects. Until recently, there had been no significant additions to our knowledge about
the psychology of agenda-setting effects. However, the concept of Need for Orientation is only one part of the answer
to the question about why agenda setting occurs. Recent research outlines a second way to answer the why question
by describing the psychological process through which these effects occur. In this review, we integrate four contemporary
studies that explicate dual psychological paths that lead to agenda-setting effects at the first and second levels.
We then examine how information preferences and selective exposure can be profitably included in the agenda-setting
framework. Complementing these new models of information processing and varying attention to media content and
presentation cues, an expanded concept of psychological relevance, motivated reasoning goals (accuracy versus directional
goals), and issue publics are discussed.