In a sentence, this means that the target of influence will respond either mindfully or mindlessly. This fundamental division requires some background explanation, so you might want to print this page now and read it offline.
Human brains are vastly underpowered to deal with the pace of modern living.
You see, you are the owner of a hunter-gatherer brain, which was just the machine for the job of hunting and gathering, which we humans did to survive thousands of years ago. But now, you must use that same model brain to set your VCR, create a computer spreadsheet, read a map, and figure out how to set your watch once you land at the London airport. You might even call on it to speak a foreign language, take a course in biology, perform a math calculation, or repair an electronic circuit. Your geriatric Apple II wouldn't like that task any more than your brain likes deliberating over which brand of laundry detergent to buy as you rush through the supermarket. Hence, humans are cognitive misers, to borrow a term from the noted influence researcher Ellen Langer.