11.1 Theories of Persuasion

Theories of persuasion help us understand how people are influenced. The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) is a key theory that explains two routes to persuasion: central and peripheral. It's all about how much we think about a message.

The ELM shows that our motivation and ability to process information affect how we're persuaded. When we're engaged, we use the central route, carefully considering arguments. When we're less involved, we rely on simple cues through the peripheral route.

Elaboration Likelihood Model

Key Components and Assumptions

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• The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) is a dual-process theory of persuasion that posits two distinct routes to attitude change: the central route and the peripheral route
• The ELM assumes that the extent to which individuals engage in thoughtful, effortful processing of persuasive messages (elaboration) varies along a continuum from low to high
• The likelihood of elaboration is determined by an individual's motivation and ability to process the message
  • Motivation to process the message is influenced by factors such as personal relevance, need for cognition, and accountability
  • Ability to process the message is affected by factors such as prior knowledge, message complexity, and situational distractions

Routes to Persuasion

• When elaboration likelihood is high, persuasion is more likely to occur via the central route, which involves careful scrutiny of message arguments and extensive cognitive processing
• When elaboration likelihood is low, persuasion is more likely to occur via the peripheral route, which involves reliance on simple cues and heuristics rather than careful evaluation of message content
• The ELM posits that attitude changes resulting from the central route are more enduring, resistant to counterpersuasion, and predictive of behavior than those resulting from the peripheral route

Central vs Peripheral Routes

Central Route

• The central route to persuasion involves extensive cognitive processing and careful evaluation of the arguments presented in a persuasive message
  • When the central route is taken, individuals scrutinize the quality and strength of the arguments, engage in issue-relevant thinking, and form their attitudes based on the merits of the message
  • Factors that increase the likelihood of central route processing include high personal relevance of the topic, high need for cognition, and the presence of strong, compelling arguments
  • Examples of central route persuasion include a political speech that presents detailed policy proposals or a health communication message that provides comprehensive information about the risks and benefits of a medical treatment

Peripheral Route

• The peripheral route to persuasion involves less cognitive effort and relies on simple cues and heuristics rather than careful evaluation of message content
  • When the peripheral route is taken, individuals form their attitudes based on superficial cues such as source attractiveness, source credibility, emotional appeals, or the number of arguments presented, without carefully considering the quality of the arguments
  • Factors that increase the likelihood of peripheral route processing include low personal relevance of the topic, low need for cognition, time pressure, and the presence of distracting stimuli
  • Examples of peripheral route persuasion include an advertisement that features a celebrity endorser or a political campaign ad that uses catchy slogans and appealing visuals

Factors Influencing Route Selection

• The route taken depends on the individual's motivation and ability to process the message, which can be influenced by situational and individual difference variables
• The ELM suggests that when motivation and ability to process are high, the central route is more likely to be taken, whereas when motivation and ability are low, the peripheral route is more likely to be taken
• Situational factors that can affect route selection include time pressure, distractions, and the complexity of the message
• Individual difference variables that can influence route selection include need for cognition, prior knowledge, and personal relevance of the topic

ELM vs Other Theories

Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM)

• The Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM) is similar to the ELM in that it proposes two modes of information processing: systematic processing (analogous to the central route) and heuristic processing (analogous to the peripheral route)
  • However, the HSM posits that both modes of processing can co-occur and that heuristic processing can bias systematic processing, whereas the ELM suggests that the two routes are mutually exclusive
  • The HSM also emphasizes the role of accuracy motivation in determining the depth of information processing, whereas the ELM focuses more on the role of ability and motivation in general

Social Judgment Theory (SJT)

• Social Judgment Theory (SJT) focuses on how individuals judge the position advocated in a persuasive message in relation to their own attitudes
  • SJT proposes that a message falling within an individual's latitude of acceptance is more likely to be persuasive, whereas a message falling within the latitude of rejection is more likely to be resisted
  • Unlike the ELM, SJT does not explicitly address the role of cognitive processing in persuasion and instead emphasizes the importance of attitudinal factors in determining persuasion outcomes

Comparison with ELM

• The ELM is a more comprehensive theory that accounts for both message-related and recipient-related factors in persuasion, whereas SJT primarily focuses on the role of an individual's prior attitudes in the persuasion process
• Both the ELM and the HSM emphasize the importance of motivation and ability in determining the depth of information processing, whereas SJT places greater emphasis on the role of attitudinal factors in persuasion
• The ELM provides a more nuanced framework for understanding the different routes to persuasion and the factors that influence which route is taken, compared to the other theories

Analyzing Persuasion with ELM

Political Campaigns

• Political campaigns often use a mix of central and peripheral route strategies to persuade voters
  • Campaign speeches and debates that present detailed policy proposals and arguments are designed to appeal to voters who are motivated and able to engage in central route processing
  • Campaign ads that feature attractive or famous endorsers, emotional appeals, or catchy slogans are designed to appeal to voters who are more likely to engage in peripheral route processing
  • By targeting different voter segments with tailored persuasive messages, political campaigns can maximize their persuasive impact and appeal to a broader range of voters

Health Communication

• Health communication messages, such as anti-smoking campaigns, can also be analyzed using the ELM framework
  • Messages that provide detailed information about the health risks of smoking and the benefits of quitting are more likely to be effective for individuals who are motivated and able to process the information carefully (central route)
  • Messages that use graphic images, fear appeals, or celebrity endorsements may be more effective for individuals who are less motivated or able to process the information (peripheral route)
  • Health communicators can use the ELM to design messages that are tailored to the processing styles and motivations of different target audiences, increasing the likelihood of successful behavior change

Advertising

• Advertising often relies heavily on peripheral route strategies to persuade consumers
  • Ads that feature attractive models, catchy jingles, or appealing packaging are designed to influence attitudes through peripheral cues rather than careful evaluation of product attributes
  • However, for high-involvement products or services, such as cars or financial investments, ads that provide detailed information and arguments may be more effective for consumers who are motivated to engage in central route processing
  • Advertisers can use the ELM to create persuasive messages that are appropriate for the level of involvement and motivation of their target audience, increasing the effectiveness of their campaigns

Research and Practice

• By analyzing real-world persuasive messages through the lens of the ELM, researchers and practitioners can gain insights into the strategies that are most likely to be effective for different target audiences and contexts
• The ELM provides a framework for understanding how and why certain persuasive messages are more effective than others, allowing communicators to design more targeted and impactful campaigns
• Researchers can use the ELM to generate hypotheses about the factors that influence persuasion outcomes and to design studies that test these hypotheses in real-world settings